This villain is too popular.

Chapter 486 Three Heroes and Seven Heroes [4000 words]

The sounds of the star beasts playing and frolicking dispelled the stillness of the night. Jing Liuli sat on the steps with Mo Ying in her arms, feeding the little guy candy while watching the spirit fox and the flowing light bird chase and play.

The jellyfish-like creature floated beside Caroline, its pale blue light making her features appear even more gentle.

Not far away, Tiandao leaned against the railing, his gaze falling on Yunmeng. He suddenly spoke up: "Sister Yun, the people from the association just mentioned that your star power fluctuations are very special. Their detectors can't identify your identity file."

Upon hearing this, the noisy star beasts seemed to sense the change in atmosphere and gradually quieted down. Little Gold also raised its head, its golden beast eyes looking at Yunmeng with a hint of dependence.

Yunmeng gently stroked Xiao Jin's fluffy fur with her fingertips, her tone calm, as if she were telling someone else's story.

"That's normal. I was expelled from the Star Envoy Association twenty years ago."

"Dismissed?"

Jing Liuli looked up, her face full of surprise.
"Instructor, were you also a member of the association before?"

In her memory, Yunmeng had always been an instructor at the Ember Base, mysterious and powerful, and she had never heard of her having any connection with the Association.

Just as surprised as she was were the viewers at the 13 stations.

'Expulsion from the association? Instructor Yunmeng has this past?'

'That happened twenty years ago...the instructor must have been quite young then, right?'

'I think there's some juicy gossip going on!'

The anime series focuses on Yunmeng.

In response to Jing Liuli's question, Yunmeng nodded, gazing at the distant night sky, a distant yet complex expression flashing across her eyes.

Suddenly, a badge appeared in her hand. The center of the badge still bore the mark of her star power from back then, but the edges were covered with scratches from the wear and tear of time and the impact of battle.

It was an exclusive medal awarded by the association to 'Outstanding Star Envoys' back then.

As Yunmeng played with the badge, she calmly said, "When I was fourteen years old, I was specially recruited into the association headquarters, making me the youngest entrant that year."

"With the prototype of the 'Dream in the Clouds' star source, I became a senior star envoy in less than three years. At the age of eighteen, I broke through to the third level of perfection and was known as one of the 'Seven Heroes of the Association' along with Ling Feng, Su Qing and several other people from the same period."

"Don't underestimate this title, because back then, the only guys above the seven of us were the three disciples of the Grand Master who were hailed as the Three Heroes of the New Era."

Yunmeng paused, her tone unusually wistful.

"At that time, the association had high hopes for me, opening up its top resources and most confidential star beast research data to me. Everyone thought that I would be one of the association's futures."

Just then, Caroline put down her tablet, her green eyes filled with curiosity.

"Since you were a genius in the association back then, why were you expelled?"

It should be noted that in the Star Envoy community, the Star Envoy Association is the highest authority.

Becoming one of the geniuses is the dream of countless Star Envoys, and no one would easily give up such an identity.

Upon hearing this, Yunmeng calmly said, "Some people choose to compromise, but I am a person with a strong backbone, and I dislike compromise the most."

Although Yunmeng did not explicitly state what those different paths were.

But Caroline and Jing Liuli still managed to glean some secrets from it.

Seemingly having opened up, or perhaps feeling that Tiandao and the others were now qualified to know these things, Yunmeng simply began to explain the general situation of what happened back then.

"I can't go into the specifics, because it involves too many things."

"You just need to know that even the president would have had a hard time making a decision back then."

"Therefore, there were actually very serious disagreements within the association twenty years ago."

"Some people believe that they should make short-term concessions in exchange for more time, thereby gaining a higher chance of winning."

"Some people believe that yielding will only squander our hard-won advantages, and we must press our advantage."

At this point, Yunmeng shrugged: "Well, the professor and I chose the latter."

After hearing this, Tiandao seemed to be deep in thought.

He had seen scattered records about the turmoil twenty years ago in the doctor's old files and understood how complicated the situation was, far from being as easy as Yunmeng made it out to be.

Because of the situation at that time, the Star Envoy Association and the four major families of the New Federation were all involved.

Although Yunmeng already possessed considerable strength at that time, she was still caught in this catastrophe-level upheaval.

Her so-called 'Seven Heroes' really couldn't make a ripple.

As if she knew what the Heavenly Dao was thinking, Yunmeng smiled and said, "Little Heavenly Dao, don't think I don't know what you're thinking."

"Indeed, although I made a choice back then, with my limited strength and power, I had absolutely no impact on the overall situation. I was even imprisoned in the Confinement Tower by the Association."

"The Confinement Tower? Isn't that where the Association detains serious criminals and stores classified information? Its defenses are said to be impregnable. How did you get out?"

Jing Liuli exclaimed in surprise, having seen the record in the association's historical materials.

The association's confinement tower has a triple-layered stellar power barrier on the outside and dozens of top star envoys stationed on the inner layer.

Yunmeng shrugged and said, "How else could we have gotten out? We were rescued, of course."

Jing Liuli's eyes lit up. Without a doubt, the one who rescued Yunmeng must be the Doctor.

Thinking of this, Jing Liuli tightened her grip on Mo Ying's arm.

My image of a PhD suddenly became much more impressive.

"After that, the doctor took me away from headquarters."

“Some people in the association immediately announced my expulsion and issued a high bounty, hunting us down for six whole months.”

Yunmeng's tone returned to its usual calm, as if those turbulent days were not worth mentioning.
"It was during that escape that the 'Dream in the Clouds' star source fully awakened, and I was able to establish a deeper contractual link with the star beast, sharing attributes and perceptions, which led to the later Kingdom in the Clouds."

As soon as she finished speaking, Yunmeng raised her hand and waved it. The portal to the Cloud Kingdom reappeared, and the figures of more star beasts could be vaguely seen behind it.

'So that's how the Kingdom of the Clouds came about! The instructor is so gentle!'

'Giving up the association's future to protect the star beasts alongside the doctor... that's what true strength is.'

'No wonder the instructor is so kind to the star beasts; it turns out he has such a past. I feel sorry for the instructor.'

Jing Liuli held Mo Ying and gently stroked its head. Suddenly, she understood why Yun Meng was always so gentle with star beasts and why she was so resistant to some of the association's practices.

As if sensing her emotions, Mo Ying nuzzled her chin with her head and let out a soft whimper.

"How was the turmoil of those years finally quelled?"

Caroline pressed for more information.

She had consulted countless archives, yet knew nothing of the outcome of this upheaval, as if someone had deliberately erased all traces of it.

Yunmeng's eyes turned colder: "It hasn't truly subsided; it's only been temporarily suppressed."

As if sensing danger, Xiao Jin let out a low howl and its body grew larger again, blocking Yun Meng's path.

Mo Ying also raised her head from Jing Liuli's arms, warily scanning her surroundings.

The spirit fox and the luminous bird also gathered around, forming a small protective circle that shielded everyone in the middle.

Seeing everyone's tense expressions, Yunmeng smiled and said, "Don't be nervous. They couldn't stop us back then, so it's even less likely now." "After all, you don't really think that Dragon alone can release me from the Tower of Imprisonment, do you?"

"Some people think that instead of putting all their eggs in one basket, it's better to diversify their investments. After all, having more options means having more paths to take."

Although Yunmeng did not explicitly state who this person was, even someone as slow-witted as Jing Liuli immediately figured out the answer.

That is the strongest member of the association—the Grand Master, Ennett.

After saying this, Yunmeng looked up at the crowd and star beasts in front of her, a gentle yet firm smile appearing on her lips.

She reached out, and the spirit fox jumped onto her shoulder, the shimmering bird landed on her fingertips, and the jellyfish-like creatures circled around her.

Little Jin nestled obediently at her feet, and the power of all the star beasts converged through the contract link, forming a dazzling light shield.

"Let's go, it's time to go home and visit."

Yunmeng's voice carried an undeniable power.

"The doctor is still waiting for us. There are some things you need to know the whole truth about."

As night fell, the figures of the group of people and the beast gradually disappeared into the distance, and the gate to the Kingdom of Clouds slowly closed, leaving only gentle starlight on the ground.

And a grudge spanning twenty years will officially begin at the Ember Base.

As soon as everyone boarded the aircraft bound for the Ember Base, the Star Beasts broke the solemn atmosphere, displaying their adorable antics.

Xiao Jin transformed into a small, husky-sized dragon and insisted on squeezing next to Jing Liuli. Its golden beastly eyes stared intently at the trophy in her arms, curious about what this shiny object was.

It tentatively touched the cup wall with the tip of its nose, startled by the icy touch, and shrank its head. Then, unwillingly, it rubbed against the glass arm, looking like a puppy begging for a toy.

'Hahaha, Little Jin is treating the trophy like a toy! The curiosity of this Cataclysmic Star Beast is so cute!'

Just a moment ago he was wary and protective of his master, but now he's instantly turned into a curious child.

Jing Liuli was amused by it and reached out to hand the trophy to it.

"This is a charity trophy, not a toy."

Xiao Jin seemed to understand but not quite. He gently licked the rim of the cup with his tongue, and seeing that it had no taste, he lowered his head in disappointment and turned his attention to the candy wrapper peeking out of the mirror glass pocket.

It was the sweet treats that attracted it more than the sparkly cup.

Meanwhile, the shadowy creature curled up on Jing Liuli's lap had already set its sights on the bag of candy. Taking advantage of the moment when Xiao Jin peeked out, it quickly snatched the bag of candy with its pointed beak, snuggled closer to Jing Liuli, and even used its tail to block the bag of candy, as if to declare its ownership.

Seeing this, Xiao Jin let out a low howl and went over to try and get a piece of candy from its mouth. However, Mo Ying held onto the candy bag tightly and refused to let go. The two little animals started pulling around the bag of candy, neither daring to break it nor willing to give in. They looked adorable.

'Moying is so possessive of its food! It's definitely a true foodie!'

'Two little cuties are fighting over candy, Liuli, you need to do something about it!'

Yunmeng leaned against the porthole, flicked her fingertips, and a wisp of starlight lifted the candy bag, precisely dividing it into two portions. One portion landed near Xiaojin's mouth, and the other was handed to Moying: "Eat quietly, don't break Liuli's things."

Mo Ying immediately snatched her own candy, curled up in the corner, and obediently started munching on it, not forgetting to glare at Xiao Jin as if to say, 'This is mine.'

Xiao Jin swallowed the candy in big gulps, and after finishing it, she snuggled up to Yun Meng's hand and rubbed her head against her palm, acting all cute and adorable.

On the other side, the fox jumped onto Caroline's shoulder and swept its fluffy tail across the route map on her tablet, as if checking if the route was safe.

Caroline smiled and ruffled its head: "Don't worry, the route avoids dangerous areas."

The fox seemed to understand, and let out a soft cry at the tablet before jumping to the top of the aircraft and crouching beside the vent, warily looking out the window.

It is both vigilant and able to detect external movements immediately, which is very clever.

The luminous sparrows circled around the lights of the aircraft, their wings reflecting shimmering light. Occasionally, one would land on Tiandao's shoulder and gently peck at his collar with its sharp beak, as if reminding him to keep an eye on the star beasts.

Heavenly Dao helplessly raised its hand, condensing a faint vector force field to gather the bird in its palm.

Just as the heavens were about to tell it to behave, the bird suddenly flapped its wings and flew towards the tail of the aircraft, chirping softly in the direction of the storage compartment.

What did the bird discover? Is something unusual?

Caroline immediately pulled up the storage compartment's surveillance footage, only to find it completely empty, containing only a few empty boxes.

Just as everyone was wondering, Mo Ying suddenly ran to the storage compartment door with a piece of candy in his mouth and whispered to the corner.

It turns out that while everyone was distracted, it had secretly moved the whole box of mango gummies that Mirror Glass had hidden to the corner of the storage compartment, and even tried to cover it up with an empty box. It thought it was well hidden, but it was discovered by the light-emitting bird with a keen sense of smell.

"Good heavens, so you were hiding something here all along!"

Just as Jing Liuli was about to take out the candy box, Yunmeng used her star power to lift the box up first, her tone somewhat teasing.

"No wonder you were so eager to grab the candy earlier, you had some in stock."

"Liuli, eat less sweets. You're a big star, you need to maintain your figure."

Jing Liuli's face fell instantly, and she grabbed Yunmeng's arm, pleading, "Just two! Moying and Xiaojin want some too!"

Mo Ying and Xiao Jin immediately came over, rubbing against Yun Meng's ankles on either side. Their golden and black beast eyes were full of pleading. The spirit fox also jumped down from the top and swept its tail across the back of Yun Meng's hand, as if to chime in.

The shimmering bird landed on the candy box and gently pecked at it, as if to say, "I'd like to try some too."

'Hahaha, all the Star Beasts are pleading for mercy! Instructor Yunmeng simply can't hold on!'

'The star beasts are so clever! They know how to team up to beg for snacks!'

Yunmeng looked at the person and four beasts surrounding her, shook her head helplessly, opened the candy box and gave each person and beast two candies: "Two candies only, the rest can be eaten when we get to the base."

Jing Liuli immediately beamed with joy, took the candy, and handed one to Mo Ying.

Little Jin took the candy, carefully put it in his mouth and chewed it, afraid of breaking it.

The fox gracefully holds the candy with its paw and slowly licks it; the luminous bird, carrying the candy, lands beside the lamp and enjoys it while admiring the scenery—each has its own way of eating it.

As the aircraft passed through the clouds, several streaks of stardust suddenly flashed past outside. The fox immediately raised its fur alertly and growled softly at the window.

Xiao Jin also stood up instantly, blocking in front of everyone, with a faint flame-like star power emanating from his body.

Mo Ying and Liu Guang Que Niao also gathered around, looking ready for battle.

After waiting for a while, it found that it was just ordinary stardust and there was no danger. Little Gold sat down again in disappointment, lowered its head and licked its paws, as if it was embarrassed by its excessive tension.

'The fox spirit is so vigilant! She's definitely a reliable sentinel.'

'Little Jin is so cute! I was so worried for so long, but it turned out to be a false alarm.'

Caroline smiled and reassured the spirit fox, "It's nothing, just stardust."

The fox nuzzled her palm before jumping back to the top to continue its vigilance.

Mo Ying, with a half-eaten candy in her mouth, approached Xiao Jin and offered the candy to its mouth, as if to comfort it.

Little Jin paused for a moment, then took the candy. The two little animals leaned against each other, quietly munching on the candy, creating a warm and comforting atmosphere.

Yunmeng looked at the harmonious scene between the humans and the star beasts, her eyes filled with tenderness.

She knew that this grudge spanning twenty years was destined to be difficult, but with these kindred spirits, cute and witty star beast companions, they could overcome any crisis together.

The aircraft sped toward the Ember Base, and the warmth and cuteness inside the cabin became the most solid foundation for fighting against unknown dangers.

(End of this chapter)