Chapter 1497

Yeli's gaze paused slightly on Xu Jingming's name.

A faint, almost imperceptible upward tug appeared at her crimson lips, but quickly faded into stillness.

She continued in her cold, clear voice:

"According to the competition rules, the top individual score holder is Xu Jingming.

He receives one Blood Refinement Badge, one SS1-class auxiliary pill for breaking through the Cosmic Stage—Star Essence Pill.

And a secret treasure provided jointly by the three factions!"

"Xu Jingming, you may ascend the stage to claim your reward."

As her words ended, the entire central platform fell into brief silence.

Then erupted into uncontrollable clamor and exclamations!

"That's the Blood Refinement Badge! Truly enviable!"

"Not just that—the Star Essence Pill and the secret treasure are both priceless!"

"Who could disagree?"

"......"

Amid the waves of astonishment, Xu Jingming once again became the center of all eyes.

He stepped forward toward the platform's front, and Yeli flipped her right palm.

In her palm appeared a dark red badge, ancient in design, with faint streams of bloodlight swirling within.

"This is the Blood Refinement Badge.

With this badge, you may select one item from the treasuries of the three factions."

Yeli explained softly, then produced two more items.

One was a pill sealed in a box.

The other was a slender, surfboard-like device, about one meter long.

"This is the Star Essence Pill and the secret treasure—Void Shadow Dasher. The Star Essence Pill will aid your breakthrough to the Cosmic Stage."

Yeli paused, then continued:

"As for this secret treasure, the Void Shadow Dasher:

It contains the primordial essence of space and shadow, usable for ultra-fast flight and concealment.

Under extreme conditions, even a cultivator who has perfected space primordial essence may not be able to stop you."

As Yeli finished speaking, Xu Jingming was filled with delight.

This reward was truly luxurious!

Breakthrough, escape, and even a chance to choose one item from a treasury!

It was thoughtfully tailored to perfection!

"Thank you, Master."

After bowing, Xu Jingming stored all three items into his space ring.

The space ring, taken from him before the Beast Hunt began, had now been returned.

"Keep striving. The Eternal Star Alliance will never waste your talent."

Yeli offered a faint smile.

Yet paired with her breathtaking beauty, it was utterly stunning.

"Second through tenth place in individual scores:

Will receive resources and treasures corresponding to their rank. The full list will be sent to your smart armbands shortly."

After Xu Jingming stepped down, Yeli spoke again:

"Final faction rankings for this Beast Hunt:

Eternal Star Alliance first, God-Slaying Martial Temple second, Cosmic Mercenary Alliance third.

Related resource quotas and subsequent privileges will be negotiated and allocated by the three factions' high councils."

"Thus, this year's Tri-Faction Joint Beast Hunt is officially concluded!"

The moment her words ended, the entire platform fell silent for an instant.

Then burst into a chaotic roar of exhaustion, relief, and exhilaration.

It was over.

A full year of bloody combat.

Amid the heart-stopping arrival of the Dominator, it finally came to an end.

Countless souls exhaled deeply, their taut nerves finally relaxing after a year of tension.

Those ranked high were already anticipating their next rewards.

Those who had merely scraped by were also deeply satisfied.

Yet regardless of their reactions, every single pair of eyes.

Unanimously turned once more toward the tall, upright figure standing at the front of the Eternal Star Alliance team.

Xu Jingming.

That name, from this day forward, would echo forever among all Cosmic Stage cultivators of the three factions.

Yeli's gaze swept across the crowd below, their emotions varied, yet she said nothing more.

She raised her jade hand and lightly pointed upward into the void.

Hum—

Instantly, the clear sky above the platform twisted violently.

Space rippled outward in concentric rings of silvery-white waves.

Immediately after, a colossal vessel, vast enough to nearly obscure the entire sky, slowly squeezed out from the center of the ripples.

It was the Expedition-7 Star Mothership, the same one that had arrived.

Unlike its majestic arrival a year ago when it first landed on Blood Refining Star.

Now, the mothership's descent was extraordinarily calm and quiet.

The silver-gray hull, stretching over ten kilometers, shimmered with a faint energy glow.

Massive engine nozzles adjusted their angles, emitting soft blue flames.

Like a floating mountain range of steel, it sank slowly, radiating a suffocating pressure.

Finally, it halted steadily in midair, about a hundred meters above the platform.

Hss—

Dozens of enormous hatches along the mothership's belly opened simultaneously.

"All members of the Eternal Star Alliance, board the vessel and prepare for return!"

Ye Li's voice sounded again.

The Eternal Star Alliance contestants immediately flew toward the star mothership.

One year!

They had fought relentlessly on Blood Refining Star for a full year, their minds tense the entire time—they were truly exhausted.

Besides Ye Li, the God-Slaying Martial Temple and the Cosmic Mercenary Alliance's starships also appeared in succession, arranging for their contestants to board.

"Master Ye Li, we'll take our leave first."

"To witness the grace of the Night Goddess is truly beyond legend."

Ross and Aiden, the two Immortal Gods, both spoke their farewells to Ye Li.

Yet compared to before, their voices now carried an unprecedented reverence.

Indeed.

Ye Li fought a Dominator-class being—this proved the opponent's strength was comparable to a Dominator's!

If the opponent truly broke through to Dominator-class, their combat power would grow even further.

Such a powerful being, they naturally revered immensely.

Compared to Ye Li, Korte from the same Eternal Star Alliance seemed almost negligible.

'Those damn bastards! Only know how to fawn over power!'

Korte, noticing the difference, flickered a shadow of gloom in his eyes.

This Demon Hunting Contest had cost him dearly.

He nearly got killed by a Dominator-class warrior, and lost an SSS5-level resource!

Even Chi Huang, whom he favored, failed to achieve any notable rank in the competition.

'How strong is a Dominator-class combatant? Within a thousand years, I'll break through too!'

'And you, Xu Jingming—I won't let you get away with your arrogance much longer.'

Korte's gaze toward Xu Jingming carried unmasked loathing.

From refusing to become his disciple, to refusing to spare his son,

to now becoming the Frost Crown Dominator's direct disciple and claiming first place in the Demon Hunting Contest—

Xu Jingming had been steadily pushing his limits of tolerance.

And now, he was done pretending to endure it.

Hss—

The starships of the three peak human cosmic factions slowly lifted off.

Xu Jingming stood on the star mothership's railing.

He gazed down at Blood Refining Star, shrinking beneath him, feeling a faint reluctance.

If he could have stayed a few more months, his system panel's Source Points would have surged by hundreds of millions.

But this was the limit.

The demonic beasts on Blood Refining Star were not infinite in number.

After the cleansing by these human prodigies, over half the demonic beasts on the star had vanished.

In the later stages, he had clearly felt the speed of Source Point acquisition drop sharply.

'Once we return, I'll first break through to Cosmic Stage, then find a place teeming with demonic beasts to harvest Source Points.'

Xu Jingming planned in his mind.

Suddenly, a mental voice echoed in his mind:

'Little brother, after returning to your cabin, come find me in the Virtual Universe.'

It was Sister Ye Li.

The message was brief and cold, as if her voice alone could conjure her exquisite, icy beauty.