Chapter 385: Version Update Preview – Key Story Character Anya
Ever since advancing to the Transcendent-rank, Bai Fu hadn't really paid much attention to version downtime updates.
Because it had been a long time since she’d received a direct buff.
Most of the time, the changes she received were positioning adjustments or some special intel—but this time, things went quite unexpectedly.
After a string of loading progress bars, the first correction she received was—
【Correction 1: You have gained Élisée’s recognition, your fusion progress with the Double Helix Tree has reached 30%, you are now officially one of the administrators of the Ethereal Realm Dimension】
“？”
Bai Fu was utterly stunned.
Was there such a good thing?
The perks of becoming an administrator of the Ethereal Realm Dimension were nothing short of amazing. That much was evident just from the next two prompts.
【Correction 2: Template adjustment—your template has been specially modified to [Ethereal Realm Administrator]】
【Correction 3: Your body has undergone a special transformation—you have acquired the new Talent [Divine Creation of the Ethereal Realm]】
The first granted Bai Fu quite a few new template bonuses:
For every level up, Inspiration +5, all other Stats +1;
Constitution: HP Conversion Rate +50; Inspiration: Psionic Value Conversion Rate +100;
Dimensional Mastery—you may draw unlimited power from the Ethereal Realm, unless the connection is forcibly severed;
Ethereal Realm Aura—Psionic stream Psionicists, even powerful Transcendents, will suffer a dignity debuff when facing you, reducing all capabilities. This debuff cannot be removed unless your link to the Ethereal Realm is forcibly cut.
The second gave Bai Fu the ability to further enhance her [Crown of the Void Deity].
【Crown of the Void Deity】was the ability she’d acquired after evolving her race into [Sovereign of the Stars]. After selecting one Cosmic Treasure as her coronation crown, she could then use Ethereal Realm Particles to strengthen it.
The coronation crown she’d chosen at the time was the Ark of Heaven.
Thanks to the previous enhancement, the Ark of Heaven was already the finest among all her Cosmic Treasures.
Now, with 【Divine Creation of the Ethereal Realm】, one more upgrade—and Bai Fu figured its toughness might even surpass the Predestined Celestial Sphere and the Titan Divine Shield.
“That’s definitely a win.”
Bai Fu was in excellent spirits.
She continued reading. The following prompts were the usual positional tweaks.
In version 3.2, her power tier had officially been corrected to [Pinnacle of the Stars], and the Silent Alliance was likewise officially designated a [Universal-scale Faction].
The titles were impressive, but Bai Fu no longer cared much for such things.
She was already the game’s Poster Girl—why should she care about some rating?
What truly mattered to her were the two new bonuses she received after her fusion progress with the Double Helix Tree passed 30%.
First, her original burst-type skill 【Blessing of the Ethereal God】had evolved into 【Ethereal Blessing】. Compared to before, each attribute buff had increased by an additional 5%.
Then came a new ability called 【Dimensional Projection】. With it, she could use the Ethereal Realm Dimension as a springboard to instantly teleport to faraway locations.
However, the further the distance, the longer the cooldown—ranging from 10 minutes to a maximum of 24 hours.
Despite the limitations, it was a god-tier ability—especially useful in ambushes or sudden retreats.
Even if opponents locked her down, as long as the Ethereal Realm Dimension could descend normally, she could still escape with ease.
“Just 30% fusion progress is already this strong? If it reached 50% or even 100% like Aetheron’s… wouldn’t that be insane?”
Bai Fu beamed with delight.
After closing the enhancement prompts, she casually opened the game’s official site to check out the version 3.2 update announcement.
The name of version 3.2 was【Calamity Surges】.
A name with dual meanings: it both referred to unlocking the Calamity-rank for Players, and hinted that the update would be a chaotic, calamity-ridden version.
But all of that was within Bai Fu’s expectations. What she really wanted to know was—who would be the “protagonists” of version 3.2?
She clicked on the update video.
In the video, the chibi Stars-chan cheerfully greeted the audience and began introducing the basic content of version 3.2.
The old towers crumble, new towers rise—this was a version of transformation and strife.
In this version, the main promoted factions were the Silent Alliance and the alliance formed by the Seekers of the Original Pact. In addition, there were several smaller factions for Players to join.
But after Ignaz’s self-detonation, if Players truly wanted to enjoy the main storyline in 3.2, then there was only one option left—the Silent Alliance.
After the faction introductions, the key story characters of the new version began appearing in sequence. Leading the lineup were Bai Fu, Ignaz, Fate-Weaver, Child of Prophecy, Fitz, Élisée, and... Anya?
what？
The moment Anya appeared, Bai Fu was completely dumbfounded.
What was going on?
In all previous versions, Anya had never once appeared solo in a version preview. Sure, her strength now was considerable—but did that warrant over ten seconds of dedicated screen time in the update video?
Bai Fu wasn’t the only one shocked. Many Players from the Silent Alliance were stunned as well.
【Damn, did our Anya-jie finally make it big?】
【It’s been a long road—Anya used to just be Fufu’s tagalong】
【She starts off with her eyes closed in the video, then suddenly opens them—it feels like an awakening!】
【Wait a sec... is there something in her pupils?】
Sharp-eyed Players quickly spotted something odd.
Soon after, lore enthusiasts like the Excavation‑Princess mobilized and shared their theories across the Community.
They zoomed in on the video and discovered that Anya’s eyes bore a pair of star-shaped symbols.
The stars themselves seemed ordinary, but considering the game’s title Beyond the Stars, people couldn’t help but speculate.
【Could it be that Anya is actually the game’s true protagonist?】
【I think the stars imply that she’s the final BOSS—Beyond the Stars, right? We must surpass the BOSS who represents the stars to witness an even greater vista】
【If Anya’s the final BOSS... wouldn’t that mean she and Fufu would turn against each other? Nooo!】
【Get real. There’s no way Anya’s the final BOSS. Did you all forget Fufu’s new race name? Sovereign of the Stars, people—that’s a clear hint Fufu is Anya’s sovereign. They’re just playing a game together】
【Damn, this is turning into an Ace x Amour Game!】
Watching the Community threads spiral further and further off the rails, Bai Fu’s face went completely green.
Nonsense! Who’s playing some Ace-Amour game with Anya? The two of them were clearly just innocently discussing cultivation, okay?
Forget it.
The information Players had didn’t even amount to one-tenth of what she knew. Expecting them to guess the truth from one or two cutscenes was less reliable than expecting chibi Stars-chan to just reveal everything directly.
The latter half of the trailer didn't contain anything particularly worth looking forward to—it only briefly mentioned version 3.2’s gameplay optimizations and newly unlocked content.
Among them, the level cap for Players had increased from 110 to 125, officially opening the gateway to Calamity-rank, which was genuinely exciting.
Calamity-rank was an entirely new tier. To quickly establish themselves there, Players had to gather a huge amount of advanced knowledge and skill books.
Bai Fu realized—it was time for another round of XP farming.
"After milking this wave, I should be able to push my second class up to Transcendent-rank too!"
With that, Bai Fu cheerfully closed the official website.
She first went to check on Anya, who was in the middle of training.
Unfortunately, no matter how she looked—or even after doing some optical experiments with Anya—she couldn’t find anything unusual.
Not the right time yet?
Well, nothing to be done.
Bai Fu tugged up her tights and went off to prepare for harvesting XP from Players.
She’d actually been really busy lately.
On one hand, she constantly dispatched her Psionic Legion to assist the Supernova Warband in resisting Ignaz’s invasion.
On the other, she was actively organizing water armies to troll Ignaz, Odoacre, and others.
Besides that, she had to diligently instruct Yulia and the others—she’d hardly had a moment of rest.
But the rewards of such effort were massive.
Yulia and the rest had clearly advanced in strength. Bai Fu herself was getting closer and closer to crossing the Life Chasm. The Silent Alliance, once a loose coalition at its founding, was now gradually becoming a true universal-scale faction.
Of course, while she was advancing at full speed, Ignaz wasn’t idle either.
……
Imperial Year 30005, February 17.
The coalition forces broke through the final defensive line of the Supernova Warband and invaded its capital.
Faced with overwhelming power, no matter how fiercely the Warband resisted or condemned them—it was all futile.
When Ignaz disembarked from his warship, he felt as if he had trampled the entire starry sky beneath his feet.
Over ten thousand years ago—
When he was still Emperor of the Empire—he had dreamt of this scene constantly.
But the sudden emergence of the Esper Garden had completely thrown his plans into chaos.
Fortunately, ten thousand years later, he had finally achieved his original goal.
However, this time, he wasn’t just fulfilling a personal dream—he would become a savior and rescue the entire universe!
“Leader, there’s a crowd outside accusing you and the rest of the Imperial royalty of being treacherous beasts blinded by power—they say you persecuted Bai Fu and will suffer retribution sooner or later.”
The Child of Prophecy, who had been waiting on the ground for some time, nervously reported the intel he had gathered.
To his surprise, even after being cursed to his face, Ignaz didn’t get angry this time.
Angry?
Why would he be?
As a victor, why should he be angry at the words of losers?
Ignaz only wanted to laugh now—a pitying laugh.
He laughed at those outside—foolish, short-sighted, lacking in wisdom.
But that was only natural.
Most people in this world were mediocre, even ignorant, muddling through life.
It was Bai Fu who had deceived them.
Now, he would liberate them from the illusions Bai Fu had woven!
“Begin.”
Ignaz smiled faintly.
The capital had fallen. The Supernova Warband had no more strength to resist. It was time to unite the Three Universal Civilizations and build a new galactic order—one that would never again bring forth the Reaper’s Descent.
At his command, all those in the know sprang into action.
To build a stable new order, the first thing they had to do was eliminate Bai Fu.
But right now, they didn’t even know where Bai Fu was. So they had to settle for the next best thing—gathering all those within the Three Universal Civilizations who had technically submitted to them but were actually harboring great ambition.
“So... is this the cake-cutting ceremony?”
The gathered figures arrived cheerfully at the appointed location, relaxed and ready to enjoy the fruits of victory.
Not one of them ever imagined—they were walking into a merciless slaughter!
Led by Ignaz, with Fate-Weaver and the Child of Prophecy assisting, and the rest of the Seekers of the Original Pact controlling the battlefield—no matter how they fought back, their only fate was utter annihilation.
“Ignaz, have you gone mad?!”
Some survivors, not yet killed, finally snapped out of their shock and began shouting in fury.
“If it weren’t for us, you couldn’t have taken down Titan Industries and the Supernova Warband so easily! And this is how you repay us?!”
“Ignaz, f*ck you!”
Now they were all filled with regret.
Had they known this would happen, they would have defected to Bai Fu without hesitation.
Bai Fu was a Saintess! Even if her saintly behavior was all an act, she’d never do something as deranged as this.
Calling Ignaz deranged was putting it lightly—he was a pure lunatic.
Even while butchering them, he kept mouthing off about justice and the greater good of the universe and civilization. “It’s for the greater good”? Your mother!
“Ignaz, you’ll regret this! The truth will come out—when it does, you’ll be branded the enemy of the entire universe!”
“Don’t think you can cover this up! We’re all high-profile figures! If we all go missing, people will definitely start asking questions!”
“Ignaz, you still have time to stop! We can pretend this never happened!”
The curses began to shift into threats.
But Ignaz wasn’t fazed at all.
“Oh, really?”
He snapped his fingers lightly.
Suddenly, a group of puppets emerged behind him—each one identical in appearance to the Transcendents currently being massacred.
When the survivors saw them, they instantly understood what Ignaz meant.
“I’ll have these puppets die one by one at Bai Fu’s hands. Then when I kill Bai Fu… What do you think of this script?”
You absolute motherf—!
The survivors burst into another wave of curses.
But Ignaz wasn’t bothered in the slightest.
A group of walking corpses, no matter what they said, couldn’t hurt him in the least.
Soon enough, everything fell silent.
Ignaz calmly ordered the Sacred Relics left behind by the slain Transcendents to be collected.
Using Qi Surge, he dispersed the bloodstains on his body, then turned and spoke to Fate-Weaver and Hick, the Ferryman of Entropy Sea.
“Spread the word—say we’re planning a crusade against the remnants of the Apostolic Holy City once we finish clearing the Supernova Warband. Bai Fu won’t be able to sit still after hearing that. Once she shows up, we can take the chance to find out where her Cosmic Treasure is hidden.”
“Yes!”
Fate-Weaver and Hick departed swiftly.
As he watched them leave, a smile crept onto Ignaz’s face.
Honestly, he didn’t even feel all that angry at Bai Fu anymore.
Though she had disgusted him many times, he had to admit—thanks to her, he now had the resolve to carry out such a massive purge in the name of the new order.
“Before I kill her… maybe I should give her a medal or something, to honor her contributions?”