The ship itself hadn’t sustained widespread damage.
Qin Feng walked to the main console and connected a miniature intelligence core to the pirate ship’s system.
"Hammer, take control of this ship."
"Command received, Master."
Hammer’s voice resounded in his mind.
"How much longer will the ship’s power system hold out?"
"Analysis complete. Power core integrity is at ninety-two percent, and energy reserves are at seventy-eight percent. We can maintain a high-speed pursuit for an estimated twelve hours."
"Good."
Qin Feng’s gaze once again turned to the distance. Shi Dang had already produced another small vessel and was rapidly fleeing into the depths of the cosmos. "After him."
"Command confirmed."
The next second, the "Hyena-class" frigate, now under new ownership, roared its engines, came about, and shot off in the direction of Shi Dang’s escape, pushing far beyond its designed speed limits in full pursuit!
During the pursuit, Qin Feng issued a second command to Hammer.
"Hammer, identify those men from before. If any of them match bounties from the Imperial Ministry of Justice, accept the missions, submit proof of their kills, and redeem them for Contribution Points."
"Command confirmed. Searching the Imperial Fugitives database... Match found. Target: ’One-Eye’ Buck, an Imperial Fugitive with a bounty of three hundred thousand Imperial Coins and 5,000 Contribution Points... The mission has been automatically accepted and submitted."
Qin Feng’s expression remained unchanged.
And so, Qin Feng continued to hunt his nemesis while simultaneously cleaning up the Imperial Fugitives in this Chaotic Star Realm, converting them one by one into the resources he needed to press on.
...
Time slipped by quietly amidst the endless hunt.
In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.
A terrifying legend had begun to spread throughout the Taranis Spiral and even the several surrounding Chaotic Star Realms.
The legend told of a "Madman" from the Empire who was hunting the notorious "Son of Blood God," Shi Dang.
This "Madman" was savage and violent to the extreme.
In this chase that spanned several Star Realms, any Interstellar Pirates, Imperial traitors, or Chaos Believers who dared to approach—or even look at him twice—were slaughtered on the spot in the most direct and brutal fashion, utterly reduced to cosmic dust.
One skeptical Ninth-level Extreme Martial Artist, confident in his superior equipment, tried to stand in the Madman’s way. As a result, that "Madman" obliterated both him and his Ninth-level Spiritual Weapon with a single punch, blasting them into a cloud of debris.
Gradually, Shi Dang became a pariah in these chaotic regions, hunted by all.
Everyone knew that wherever he appeared, the terrifying "Madman" would not be far behind.
Many Chaos Believers, cornered by Qin Feng, would even offer up Shi Dang’s latest location and hiding spots in a desperate attempt to save their own lives.
But this still couldn’t save them from the fate of being casually slain by Qin Feng and redeemed for Contribution Points.
In this lawless, dark jungle, Qin Feng had established his own bloody sense of Order.
Over this year of hunting and culling, Qin Feng had gone through countless captured weapons, warships, and vessels, forcing Shi Dang to the brink of true desperation time and time again.
But every time, Shi Dang managed to make a narrow escape by relying on his familiarity with the Chaotic Star Realm and a variety of unbelievable Chaos Secret Skills.
Qin Feng was in no rush.
Shi Dang was already a trapped beast, declawed and defanged.
Every escape consumed the last of his life force and Will. Once Shi Dang ran out of tricks, his death was certain.
And he, in turn, was only growing stronger throughout this long hunt.
-----------------
A "Marauder-class" heavy cruiser, heavily modified and covered in menacing ramming spikes and extra gun turrets, was cruising steadily at sub-light speed along the outer lanes of the Taranis Spiral.
Qin Feng had "borrowed" this ship half a year ago from a pirate captain, a Ninth-level Extreme Martial Artist who called himself the "Skull Breaker."
At this moment, in the opulently spacious captain’s quarters, Qin Feng was sitting quietly in a cross-legged position.
The aura around him was steady and deep.
This year-long hunt, far from making him feel the slightest bit of fatigue, had instead acted as a protracted, dynamic form of secluded cultivation. It had honed his terrifying life force of 108,000 points, refining it to a state of ever-greater perfection and harmony.
He slowly opened his eyes and issued a command to Hammer in his mind.
"Hammer, how many Contribution Points do I have now?"
"Answering, Master."
Hammer’s voice immediately replied in his mind, "Over the course of this year’s culling operations, after deducting the cost of energy and maintenance parts, your current Contribution Points balance is: 78,210."
"Find me a Level 6 Killing Technique."
Qin Feng’s tone was perfectly calm. "The requirements are a focus on pure power with a grand, sweeping style."
"Instruction received."
In just a few short seconds, Hammer produced the results.
"Screening complete. There are a total of one hundred and seventeen Level 6 Killing Techniques that are most suitable for you. Displaying list..."
A massive holographic screen materialized before Qin Feng’s eyes.
Qin Feng’s gaze slowly swept over the list, finally settling on a spear technique named *Star Shatter*.
This Killing Technique had few intricate maneuvers. Its core principle was singular: to condense all of one’s life force into a single point and, in the most direct and violent way possible, unleash a strike powerful enough to shatter stars!
Simple. Pure.
The pinnacle of violence.