[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-emperor-of-the-source":3,"chapter-emperor-of-the-source-emperor-of-the-source-chapter-75":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Emperor of the Source",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1713073,2188,"Chapter 74: Threats from the Stars","emperor-of-the-source-chapter-75",75,"\u003Cp>While Aurelia's mind still reeled from the reports of Blackwood Ink, the ship's AI cut through her thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alert. Multiple signatures entering near planetary orbit. Unidentified fleet detected.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her body went rigid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone had followed her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lunged for the controls, fingers dancing across holographic displays. The ship's engines roared to life, lifting her back into the void.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside her viewport, a fleet materialized from hyperspace folds. Dozens of sleek vessels arranged in perfect formation, their hulls gleaming with imperial markings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And floating before them, arms crossed in arrogant satisfaction, drifted a man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked humanoid, but his skin was slightly red, while the shape of his fingers was sharp like a dragon's.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurelia's eyes narrowed to slits.\"Valerius.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heir of the Drakenholt clan. A pest she had shaken off countless times before, yet here he was again like a bad omen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hadn't expected him to track her here, to the galaxy's forgotten edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her ship's airlock hissed open. Aurelia stepped into the vacuum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The void carried no sound, yet Valerius's voice reached her through essence projection, dripping with mock courtesy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lady Aurelia... imagine finding you skulking around this mudball.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze swept toward Earth's blue marble, and his smirk widened. \"Your little pet planet looks lively. Such a shame how fragile these primitive worlds can be.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurelia's jaw clenched until her teeth ached. \"What the hell are you doing here, Valerius?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He drifted closer, his movements casual despite the lethal tension crackling between them. \"Oh, there are many reasons one visits the edges of the galaxy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Curiosity, Opportunity, The endless pursuit of novelty.\" His grin turned predatory. \"But let us dispense with pleasantries.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The space around him shimmered as his essence flared, a display of power meant to intimidate. \"You'll come with me, Aurelia. Be mine, and I'll spare this mudball.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Refuse...\" His eyes glittered with malice. \"And accidents happen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurelia's aura erupted. Power enough to tear his entire fleet apart burned at her fingertips, space warping under the pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Valerius only laughed, the sound carrying through the void's silence. \"Haha, I know you're strong enough to kill us all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from NovelBin. Please report it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But here? In orbit of this delicate little world?\" He gestured mockingly toward Earth. \"Even a stray clash between us would burn your planet to cinders.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice dropped to a whisper. \"Do you really want to gamble with eight billion lives?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hands trembled. Not from fear, from pure, incandescent rage, because she knew the bastard was right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any battle at their level would shatter continents. Earth's defenders, no matter how improved, couldn't survive the collateral damage of a galactic-tier conflict.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Earth's surface, a golden blaze suddenly erupted skyward. The light cut through space like a divine sword, ascending with purpose and terrible beauty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sentinel rose into orbit, his radiance making the stars themselves seem dim. After centuries apart, Aurelia's eyes met his in a silent reunion broken by this unwelcome intruder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valerius sneered at the approaching figure, thinking of him as some primitive planetary warrior. \"Another one? This backwater world has its share of toys, doesn't it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The golden guardian's presence shifted the very fabric of space around them. Even Valerius's fleet seemed to recoil instinctively from that ancient power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the heir pressed on, his voice smug and poisonous. \"Come with me, Aurelia. Submit to the inevitable, or watch this world burn.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurelia seethed, her power straining against the leash of necessity. Every instinct screamed to reduce this arrogant fool to cosmic dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sentinel's cold fury simmered beside her, but he too understood the risk. One wrong move, and Earth would pay the price.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valerius's smirk widened as he read their hesitation. \"See? You're trapped by your own sentiment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can destroy this world without lifting a finger, and you both know it.\" His laugh echoed through the void.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then, something else stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Earth, Adrian felt it, the hostile signatures pressing down on the planet. The seed inside his chest thrummed violently, resonating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And without hesitation, he moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He blinked, and in the next instant, stepped into the void. No ship, No armor, Just himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emptiness hit him instantly. No air, no sound, no ground, only the raw vibration of essence around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body reeled, limbs trembling as he drifted in the vast nothing. For the first time in years, he felt fragile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurelia froze, her eyes widened.\"A human… from Earth… in space?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sentinel's golden light rippled with surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valerius burst out laughing, mocking. \"Ah, what's this? Another rat crawling out of that mudball?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't tell me this child is your hidden weapon, Aurelia.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adrian twisted clumsily, steadying himself. His eyes darted between Aurelia, Sentinel, and the fleet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recognized Aurelia immediately, but not the ships, not the man who floated before them, nor the threat looming over Earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw how they were using essence to speak, and he tried it himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Who are you?\" Adrian asked, his voice getting used to the void and using essence to speak. \"Why are you here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valerius snorted. \"Who am I? I am Valerius of the Drakenholt clan.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My name alone could bury a thousand worlds. And this,\" He gestured at Earth below, contempt dripping from every word. \"This pebble doesn't even deserve a name.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yet somehow, you insects think yourselves strong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adrian's eyes narrowed, voice steady now. \"This planet is my home.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valerius sneered. \"Home? A backwater crawling with primitives.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I could scorch it with a word. You'd watch your families burn, and your so-called protectors wouldn't dare move.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because they know one strike between us would shatter your fragile little world.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aurelia's power coiled. Sentinel's light pressed outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But neither struck. Both knew the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adrian's jaw tightened, his voice trembling with restrained fury. \"You'd threaten an entire world… for your pride?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valerius's laughter was cold. \"No, For her.\" He pointed at Aurelia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She's mine. Everything I want, I take. That's the way of the galaxy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If I have to grind this world to ash to teach her obedience, I will.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a heartbeat, Adrian drifted helplessly in the void. Then fury ignited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His Source Seed thundered inside him, his veins started burning white-grey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His roar ripped through the silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You dare threaten her? Threaten my planet?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1057,"2026-06-06T15:05:27.002Z",1,"novelbin.me","82eaead78a3bfcb213c107903a0c23d2febae873fce11dc5d1fb226242f7f186","emperor-of-the-source-chapter-76","emperor-of-the-source-chapter-74",347,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Femperor-of-the-source-cover.jpg"]