Chapter 354: The flagship advances, Qin Hao

It let out a roar that shook the entire star field.

Since escape is impossible, let's fight to the death!

Even if I die, I'll drag this damned ant down with me to the grave!

The Devourer Sub-body's massive form began to contract violently in a strange way, collapsing.

It is burning its own life essence!

It intends to compress all its remaining life energy and soul power into a single point, then detonate!

It is going to self-destruct!

A self-destruction equivalent to an existence of a fifth‑level high civilization has the power to erase this star field, with a radius exceeding one light‑year, and everything within it, completely from the universe!

"Oh no! It's going to self-destruct!"

On Zhang Xianzhong's command ship, the detector emitted a sharp alarm.

On the screen, the number representing the Devourer Sub-body's energy reading was skyrocketing at a terrifying geometric rate!

"Chief Commander! Pull back!"

Zhang Xianzhong bellowed into the communicator, his voice hoarse from exertion.

He didn't know how strong Qin Hao was, but he knew that no life could survive a self‑destruction of this magnitude!

However, Qin Hao did not retreat.

He remained hovering in place, quietly watching the massive object before him that was contracting and about to become a "cosmic bomb".

On his face, there was even a hint… of admiration?

"Now this is a little interesting."

He muttered softly to himself.

"But to self‑destruct in front of me? That's rather naive."

Qin Hao slowly raised his left hand.

He spread his five fingers, aiming at the "energy ball" that was rapidly contracting.

Then he gently clenched his fist.

"Domain·Spacetime Imprisonment."

The instant his words fell,

an invisible force that transcended rules burst outward from Qin Hao as its center.

This star field, time itself, seemed to have been hit with a pause button.

In the distance, the fleeing space fragments froze.

The violent energy turbulence solidified.

Even light seemed to cease its propagation.

And the Devourer Sub-body located at the domain's center, whose body had been rapidly contracting, suddenly stiffened.

The energy that was about to erupt, enough to destroy everything, was forcibly "frozen" at the very moment before detonation.

It could still think.

Its will could still function.

But its body, its energy, every inch of surrounding space, every fraction of time, were completely locked down by an irresistible might!

Like an insect trapped in amber.

Unable to move.

"How… what's happening?"

The Devourer Sub-body's will was filled with endless shock and bewilderment.

"What happened?"

"Why can't I detonate myself?"

"Why has time… stopped?"

"What is this power?"

It frantically struck against this binding force, but its will was like hitting an infinitely thick wall—it could not budge an inch.

Qin Hao's figure stepped, step by step, through the frozen spacetime, arriving before the Devourer Sub-body.

He reached out and touched the Sub-body's surface, covered in boils and cracks.

"I said."

"I want to live."

His voice rang directly in the Sub-body's soul.

"Now, tell me."

"Where is your 'Overlord'?"

"What is that thing hiding behind the dimensional rift?"

Interrogation.

Qin Hao, he was actually interrogating it.

A feeling of humiliation unprecedented submerged the Devourer Sub-body's will.

It wanted to roar, to resist.

But it could do nothing.

"Not speaking?"

A flicker of coldness flashed in Qin Hao's golden eyes.

"It doesn't matter."

I'll get it myself.

His right hand, fingers turned into claws, without a trace of hesitation, he stabbed straight into the Devourer Sub-body's huge body!

Pfft—

The hard biological armor was as fragile as tofu before Qin Hao's hand.

His entire arm was plunged into the Devourer Sub-body's flesh.

"Ah—!"

The intense pain caused the Devourer Sub-body's imprisoned will to emit a silent wail.

Qin Hao's hand was groping inside it.

Soon, he grabbed a huge purple heart that was violently pulsing.

That was the Devourer Sub-body's... consciousness core.

And it was also its source of power.

"Found it."

Qin Hao's hand suddenly exerted force.

"Come out... for me!"

"Boom!"

In the Devourer Sub-body's will roar filled with pain and despair.

Qin Hao actually, with sheer force, pulled that consciousness core, over a hundred kilometers in diameter, straight out of its body!

The purple core struggled and throbbed violently in Qin Hao's hand.

The energy waves it emitted could easily tear apart a planet.

But it could not break free from Qin Hao's seemingly tiny golden palm.

"Do you still want to self-destruct now?"

Qin Hao, holding that huge 'heart,' asked calmly.

Having lost its consciousness core, the Devourer Sub-body's massive body quickly lost all vitality, turning into a cold, huge corpse drifting in space.

And the core that Qin Hao held in his hand, its will also became unprecedentedly weak due to the intense pain and energy loss.

Fear.

Endless fear completely consumed it.

It finally understood.

The golden divine being before it was utterly beyond its ability to contend with.

The gap between them was even greater than the gap between it and a true ant.

"I... I say..."

A broken, pleading consciousness wave transmitted from the core.

"Please... don't... kill me..."

It submitted.

"Good."

Qin Hao looked at the purple core in his hand, which had stopped struggling and instead transmitted a pleading signal, his face showing no expression.

To him, the enemy's plea for mercy was meaningless.

All he wanted was information.

"Release your consciousness."

Qin Hao's command was cold and direct.

"Don't offer any resistance, otherwise I'll let you experience what true 'soul and spirit scattering' means."

The purple core shuddered violently.

It could feel that Qin Hao's words were not a threat.

If it dared to make any small move, that golden divine being before it would truly, without hesitation, erase its consciousness from the most basic level.

It dared not gamble.