Chapter 637 - 425: Dao Rhyme (2)

The purplish-black trees and vines, long accustomed to living in darkness, were suddenly bathed in sunlight.

As if scalded, their surfaces involuntarily curled, letting out a SIZZLING sound.

"Is that the sun?!"

He wasn’t the only one to witness this.

On Cyan Rattan Star, and indeed across all twelve planets, everyone saw the shocking scene.

Although the sun had been extinguished for many years, thanks to virtual reality technology and the deliberate efforts of the Holy Cross Church, people were not unfamiliar with its appearance.

"May my Lord protect us!"

"Is this the sun? Its light is so warm!"

"Wait, why does the light feel like it’s getting brighter and brighter!"

...

Countless people gazed at the sky, their faces alight with excitement.

However, some of the more observant people noticed that something was wrong.

The sun, which had initially appeared to be only the size of a fist, was now rapidly expanding at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In less than half a minute, it had already grown to the size of a human head.

And this was only because Cyan Rattan Star was relatively far from the sun.

In the eyes of the people on Azure Flame Star, however, the sun seemed to take up the entire sky.

Like an immense Fireball, it hung starkly in the sky, its scorching light making it impossible to look at directly.

Under the terrifyingly high temperature, the atmosphere was steadily evaporating, and the air filled with a suffocating, searing heat.

Everyone felt it become difficult to even breathe; each inhalation felt like breathing in scalding flames.

The earth trembled violently under the impact of the heatwave, as if it could be scorched into a barren wasteland at any moment.

Flammable objects ignited spontaneously, bursting into flames.

The entire world seemed to have plunged into a sea of fire, with only endless, searing heat and blinding light rampaging wildly.

Countless people wailed miserably, their voices filled with despair and pain.

The population of Azure Flame Star, already decimated by Ancient Eye’s devastating attack, was now reduced even further.

Fortunately, however, as the most technologically advanced planet, Azure Flame Star possessed a powerful defense system.

Thick beams of light shot up from various points on the planet’s surface, soaring into the sky with a sharp whistling sound.

Once in the air, they instantly transformed into a network of lines that spread out, rapidly forming a silver, honeycomb-like barrier that sealed off the terrifying heat.

At the same time, artificial rain was initiated within the barrier.

A torrential downpour began, bringing the fires under control.

The leaders of the other planets also realized something was wrong and quickly activated their own defense mechanisms.

Viewed from the outside, in a world that had been perpetually shrouded in darkness, the twelve planets now glowed with multicolored lights, like fantastical gems radiating brilliant colors in the void.

Cyan Rattan Star, naturally, was no exception.

But upon seeing this, Xu Shu’s face turned ashen. A tide of despair surged within him, threatening to drown him completely.

"Fuck!"

He cursed aloud.

Despite his usually unshakable composure, the string of disasters he had faced since arriving in this world was starting to make him break down.

The dead sun had reignited. Others might not know what this meant.

But as someone who had read the plot of the novel *Sun of Annihilation*, he knew all too well.

’The sun’s reignition means the entire world will be set ablaze and devoured by it. Everyone will die! Not a single person can escape.’

Just then, however, a mechanical voice suddenly rang in his ear.

"Ding! Severe collapse detected in the Seven-star Novel World: *Sun of Annihilation*. Commencing early task settlement. Beginning return sequence now. Ten, nine, eight... seven..."

Xu Shu froze, the despair on his face instantly replaced by sheer ecstasy.

He swore he had never found the damned Book Spirit’s voice so sweet and pleasant. In that moment, he absolutely loved the sound of it.

Soon, as the ten-second countdown finished, Xu Shu’s body abruptly vanished from the treetop, as if he had never been there at all.

His disappearance went completely unnoticed. In fact, for the few who had met Xu Shu, their memories of him began to blur, erasing any recollection of events involving him.

...

When the light faded, Xu Shu found himself in a room. The walls were a pale pink, looking especially cozy under the warm light.

A family portrait hung on the living room wall, depicting a happy family.

The husband and wife stood on either side, and in the middle was a five or six-year-old little girl.

The little girl had two pigtails and was making a peace sign for the camera. Two deep dimples on her face made her look utterly adorable.

"My wife, Wenwen, I made it back alive again!"

Xu Shu gazed at the photograph, his expression softening for a rare moment.

"Ding! Task assessment complete. Due to unexpected anomalous interference, the process was forcibly terminated. No points or item rewards will be issued for this mission."

Xu Shu had already anticipated this outcome and wasn’t surprised.

He pulled his gaze away from the photo frame, looked into the empty space before him, and spoke.

"Book Spirit! Check if my physical condition is normal!"

Because "Readers" frequently traveled between worlds, it was inevitable that they might carry back unknown viruses or foreign objects.

For example, one Reader had once returned only to die in his own room from being poisoned.