Lin Fan finished breakfast in the dorm with Old Zhang and the others. He stretched, exercised for a bit, then, with One-Eyed Man nearly in tears, leaped into the sky. As he soared upwards, he saw a massive, black object descending.
He raised a hand, catching the Star-Devouring Crocodile's foot, then punched its sole, sending the enormous creature reeling back.
Only after the Star-Devouring Crocodile retreated did he realize the massive black shadow was just its foot.
He was utterly stunned.
"What a pity. I should have brought Old Zhang to see this. He would have been amazed. Wait, no regrets, I can just bring him here now."
Lin Fan shouted towards the Star-Devouring Crocodile, which was warily watching from afar:
"Hey, Crocodile, wait for me! I'm bringing my best friend to see you!"
With that, he swiftly departed.
The various patriarchs watching from the starry expanse stood amidst the cosmic storms, bewildered. Honestly, they hadn't understood the situation. Something felt off.
"Who was that? To possess such power…"
The Pagoda Clan Patriarch inquired. To repel a Star-Devouring Crocodile with a single punch… such power was terrifying. For such a remote star region to harbor such a powerful individual was unexpected. The resources here were hardly sufficient to cultivate such strength.
Mo Wu respectfully replied, "Ancestor, that is Lin Fan, the guardian of this planet. His power is immense, not to be underestimated."
"Oh, so he's the master of this planet. No wonder he possesses such strength." The Pagoda Clan Patriarch didn't dismiss Lin Fan's power. Though he hadn't clearly seen the punch, the fact that it repelled an adult Star-Devouring Crocodile was undeniable proof of its might.
Mo Wu wanted to clarify that Lin Fan wasn't the planet's master, but decided against it. Explaining that to these ancestors with their ancient mindsets would likely be too complicated. They would struggle to comprehend how someone so powerful could not be the master of their domain.
Soon, Lin Fan, who had just left, reappeared above the planet, floating in space. A sphere of light enveloped Old Zhang and the others, ensuring they could breathe.
"See, I didn't lie. Have you ever seen such a big crocodile?" Lin Fan enjoyed sharing the strange and wonderful things he encountered with Old Zhang, and this colossal beast was a prime example.
Old Zhang's eyes widened at the sight of the Star-Devouring Crocodile, as if they were about to pop out.
"Wow! So big! We've never seen a crocodile this big, even on Animal World!"
Old Zhang was thrilled. He often watched Animal World with Lin Fan and was familiar with the animals featured. They used to be astonished when the TV host described crocodiles four or five meters long.
He never imagined seeing such a gigantic crocodile.
The Evil Chicken stood meekly to the side, trembling all over. The sight of the Star-Devouring Crocodile had nearly scared him witless. He had never felt so insignificant.
"Chicken Bro, what's wrong?" Ginseng patted the Evil Chicken's head and asked.
The Evil Chicken trembled, "Bloodline suppression! He's too terrifying! My bloodline is being suppressed. I suspect I have the same bloodline as him, just not as advanced."
Ginseng smacked the Evil Chicken's head. "Chicken Bro, don't be silly. Don't dream. You're a chicken, not a Star-Devouring Crocodile. What are you thinking?"
If the Star-Devouring Crocodile knew a lowly Evil Chicken claimed to share its bloodline, it would undoubtedly crush the chicken underfoot. Such a pathetic creature daring to claim kinship… it was infuriating.
"I can't be wrong," the Evil Chicken muttered, clinging to his delusion. As long as he wasn't embarrassed, there was no problem. Associating himself with powerful beings was perfectly reasonable. He was that confident.
Ginseng muttered, "Truly shameless."
Meanwhile, Lin Fan and Old Zhang pointed and gestured at the Star-Devouring Crocodile like they had discovered a new continent. The appearance of such a wondrous creature had piqued their curiosity.
One-Eyed Man wanted to slap himself. He had returned to the monitoring room when Lin Fan went to confront the beast, never expecting him to return and bring Old Zhang along. Such audacity! He had missed a golden opportunity.
"Lin Fan, why isn't it coming closer?" Old Zhang asked.
"I'll ask."
Lin Fan waved at the Star-Devouring Crocodile. "Hey! Hello! Can you come closer? Can you see us? We're here! Here!"
He waved, but they were so small, like specks of dust. Who could see them? However, the Star-Devouring Crocodile had already noticed Lin Fan. To it, Lin Fan was like a blazing inferno, radiating a dangerous aura.
The Star-Devouring Crocodile had been cowed by Lin Fan. Until it had absolute certainty, it wouldn't approach.
"Maybe it can't see us?" Old Zhang was a little disappointed. His first thought upon seeing the Star-Devouring Crocodile was that he wanted to touch it. Of course, he wasn't hungry at the moment. Even if he were, he wouldn't eat it. It was simply too massive; his stomach couldn't possibly hold it.
Lin Fan pondered, "Maybe. Wait a minute."
He flew towards the Star-Devouring Crocodile. Seeing the burning inferno approaching, the colossal creature cautiously retreated, emitting furious roars.
The sound boomed, forming terrifying shockwaves.
A warning to Lin Fan: Don't come any closer, or I'll attack.
The Pagoda Clan Patriarch exclaimed, "The Star-Devouring Crocodile is afraid! It fears this Lin Fan! Incredible! Truly incredible! He can intimidate such a terrifying cosmic beast. Even I couldn't achieve that."
"Crocodile, don't be scared. I won't hurt you. My friend wants to touch you. We're friendly. We like making new friends." Lin Fan projected friendly intentions, trying to reassure the creature. They weren't bad people.
He felt the crocodile was misunderstanding him.
The Star-Devouring Crocodile roared continuously, perhaps warning him away, or perhaps cursing, "You're the crocodile! Your whole family are crocodiles!"
Perhaps Lin Fan was pushing too hard. The Star-Devouring Crocodile roared furiously and raised a massive claw, swatting at Lin Fan. The force of the blow was terrifying, as if the entire solar system was violently shaking, on the verge of destruction.
Die!
The Star-Devouring Crocodile was filled with rage.
Slap!
Lin Fan raised a hand and caught the Star-Devouring Crocodile's giant claw. He exerted a little pressure, moving it up and down, as if shaking hands. The Star-Devouring Crocodile's enormous body bobbed under the force.
"Hello."
Friendly communication began now.
"You're really huge. My hand is a bit small, but I can hold yours. It's fine."
Lin Fan muttered to himself, unsure if the Star-Devouring Crocodile could hear.
But it didn't matter.
Conveying his intentions was enough.
The Star-Devouring Crocodile had come for revenge, but things weren't going smoothly. It felt completely controlled. The sense of danger was undeniable. This being was strong, ridiculously strong.
It couldn't believe such a terrifying existence existed in this remote star region.
Its claw was trapped. No matter how much force it exerted, it couldn't break free. On the contrary, the more it struggled, the more the other's strength seemed to grow.
"Come on, let me introduce you to my friend." Lin Fan turned and pulled on the Star-Devouring Crocodile's claw. The colossal beast, which had been hovering in space, was forced to move. It didn't want to go, but the force was too overwhelming, impossible to resist.
The observing patriarchs were stunned.
This wasn't how they envisioned things.
At some point, the Dragon God appeared in the distance, with Little Buddha beside him.
"His power is unfathomable," the Dragon God sighed. An adult Star-Devouring Crocodile was terrifying. It was clear the creature had come for revenge, not to make friends.
Yet, it allowed itself to be dragged.
There was only one explanation.
The Star-Devouring Crocodile was powerless to resist, sensing a terrible threat and daring not to move.
"How did he cultivate?" Little Buddha asked, his face calm, but his flickering eyes betrayed his curiosity, his desire to understand the secret to such power.
The Dragon God replied, "He once told me, 'Comprehend nature.'"
"The Dao follows nature?" Little Buddha inquired.
"I don't know. We have existed for too short a time. We understand so little about this star region. This planet has its own will. Can such a place be simple?"
Little Buddha listened, his Buddha Eyes gleaming. "Indeed! I hadn't noticed before, but a planet with its own will exists in such a remote star region."
Not all planets possessed a will. It required specific conditions. First, a powerful being had to have existed on the planet, not just any powerful being, but one who had comprehended the Dao. Only then could a planet develop self-awareness.
This indicated that a Dao-Comprehending being had once existed on this planet.
And it was long ago, in an unknown era.
"Old Zhang, this guy is so big, it's tiring to drag him. You can touch him now. I think he's a bit shy. He hasn't responded when I talk to him, and he seemed reluctant when I dragged him over. He must be embarrassed," Lin Fan said with a smile.
Old Zhang hid behind Lin Fan, then cautiously reached out and touched the crocodile's head. "Then she must be female."
"How do you know?" Lin Fan asked.
"I saw on Animal World that females are usually shy."
"Oh, I see. Old Zhang, you know so much."
"It's nothing. I just learned it from TV."
Lin Fan liked praising Old Zhang.
Old Zhang liked being praised by Lin Fan. To Old Zhang, a thousand compliments from others couldn't compare to a single one from Lin Fan.
The Star-Devouring Crocodile wanted to attack.
But…
That guy's aura, like a blazing sun, enveloped it.
The Evil Chicken, carrying Ginseng on its back, walked towards the Star-Devouring Crocodile. It spread its wings and patted the crocodile's thick hide.
"I sense the same bloodline in you. We are both nobles from the depths of the cosmos. Crocodile little brother, stay calm!" the Evil Chicken clucked.
Whether the Star-Devouring Crocodile understood or not didn't matter.
He just needed to say what he wanted to say.
It felt good.