Chapter 1673: Want to Extend Your Lifespan?

The king's premonition was correct, as Lania's teasing gaze followed him through the starflame for a while, then she lightly asked: "You are the Immortal Sovereign?"

"You know me?" the king asked.

"You've taken so much increment from Kelania, how could I not know you? In human terms, you're pulling a scam," Lania said.

The king said discontentedly: "How is it a scam? He bumped into me, compensation is naturally due. He's so large, thrashing about in the void—bumping into me is fine, but what about bumping into those flowers and grasses?"

Lania said lightly: "You act so fearlessly—do you think I can't do anything to you?"

Seeing Lania so calm, the king's ominous premonition grew stronger. He stubbornly said: "Of course not, Lady Lania. You truly bumped into me—compensating a little increment is only fair. If you really don't want to, I won't make it hard for you. Open the Boundless Gate, and I'll leave on my own—how about that?"

"Coming and going as you please—what do you think this place is? Kelania reported your arrival to me, so I've long been prepared. Just a mere increment body..."

As Lania's words fell, the starflame around the king instantly converged toward the center, like a great hand pinching him within.

The king had long been braced with twelvefold spirit; when the starflame moved, he instantly became ethereal and flashed to the side.

Even though he had already received Kelania's report in advance, seeing the king's ethereal form again still greatly surprised Lania.

The increment body is the most primordial force in the void; the godstar itself is essentially an increment body, capable of countless incarnations, but its primordial true form remains unchanged. The king's ethereal form equates to altering that primordial form.

However, Lania was only slightly surprised—the king is too small. Such a tiny increment, no matter how altered, means nothing.

Having long prepared, Lania's starflame shifted, instantly outlining a great net around them, enveloping the king's ethereal form.

The king had just tried to slip through the mesh when the thought arose, but his rich combat experience immediately suppressed it, reverting him to a stellar skeleton, then he threw a punch.

The king's fist instantly blasted a large void; the void, upon forming, was immediately pressed back by immense pressure—but at the moment of formation, the great net was shaken open.

Lania calmly constructed a new net, layer upon layer, the increment-made net sealing all escape spaces.

Simultaneously, Lania said slowly: "Since you are an increment body, my increment-made net can ensnare you. Though there are mesh gaps, the sealed barrier must first withstand my own pressure. I leave some mesh for you to slip through—if you can, I will annihilate your smallest part."

The king knew Lania wasn't bluffing, for his combat instinct had just stopped him from trying to slip through the mesh.

To slip through the mesh inevitably requires shrinking, dispersing, and lengthening the ethereal form—some corners are easily annihilated by starflame.

Even if only a small part is annihilated, Lania's vast size means even a scrape could kill him.

But if he doesn't go into the mesh, he's trapped in this small region, layer upon layer of increment nets closing in from all sides—using ethereal form to escape would now be difficult.

Damn it... the king thought resentfully, but it didn't matter—he had already stored his memories with Ange. If he died here, Ange could revive him.

Having realized this, the king let go and threw a powerful forward punch.

The maximum force produced a spatial explosion, blasting a watermelon-sized void within the starflame, which was instantly pressed back by immense pressure.

But the king no longer cared—he unleashed his fists without reservation, fully releasing his power, adopting a reckless, all-or-nothing stance.

Though the increment nets had already been layered, this barrage of spatial explosions prevented them from contracting—nearby nets were blasted open one by one, startling Lania into daring only to keep layering, not to retract.

After a prolonged stalemate, Lania suddenly realized a problem: this increment body seemed not to be struggling to escape.

He appeared to be converting all his power into kinetic energy, releasing it into the starflame. This damned bastard—he wants mutual annihilation!

If the starflame stirs, it's not a good thing—the godstar's lifespan is determined by increment decay rate; if deep starflame is violently stirred, increment decay accelerates.

When all increment has decayed, only reserve remains; once that burns out, the godstar is gone.

The Sixth Godstar is already aged, so stirring it doesn't matter—but Lania is not. Every punch the king throws strikes at her lifespan.

Lania's mind stirred, and the starflame contracted again, like a great hand grabbing the king.

This starflame-formed hand obviously couldn't crush the king's stellar body—it could only restrict his movement. The king didn't care, continuing to throw powerful punches, producing spatial explosions that stirred the starflame.

He had realized he couldn't escape—now he prepared to exhaust all his increment, so as not to benefit Lania.

Of course, he also relied on having left his memories—Ange could revive him, which gave him the courage to act so recklessly.

Upon realizing the king's true purpose, Lania could no longer stay calm. As the Branch Lord, being drained of so much lifespan by a mere increment body? This exchange isn't worth it.

"Stop, stop, don't do this—I'll let you go," Lania hurriedly said.

The king's fists didn't stop, and he said simultaneously: "Do you think I'd believe you?"

The king had previously relied on the godstars being unable to harm him, so he dared to pull a scam. But now that Lania can threaten him, leaving is basically impossible.

The king isn't that foolish—believing in the other's painted pie. When they say such things now, it's purely because they pity the increment.

But the other's mass is so great that even if he expends all his power, he likely couldn't drain much of their increment. Once Lania hardens her heart, she will absolutely not allow him to leave safely.

"I am the Branch Lord—my vow is sworn by the Branch. I can open the Boundless Gate on my surface—you can leave directly," Lania declared solemnly.

The king said without hesitation: "No need—I can revive. When I revive, I'll come back to slash you. You bumped me and dare not compensate? I'll hack you to death..."

The king hadn't finished speaking when he suddenly received a message from Antony: "Your Majesty, agree to him—but first ask him: does he want to extend his lifespan?"