Chapter 48: Planet Phydia

On the other side, having left his team behind, Xavier ventured through the dense, primordial rainforest, casually unleashing a few Ki Blasts to dispatch some native beasts that dared to attack him. After a thorough scan of his surroundings and confirming he was alone, he centered his mind and activated Instant Transmission...

Seven days' journey from the Planet Kulzu, a small silvery celestial body orbited the sun, its periodic movements casting a metallic sheen. Wrapped in two intersecting halos of silver light, Planet Phydia appeared as a colossal pearl nestled between two interlacing discs, its beauty magnified by the distant starscape.

The intertwined silver halos were actually two space corridors encircling the planet at ninety-degree angles, a testament to the Phydia people's pinnacle of technological achievement. Yet now, these majestic corridors tilted slightly, with sections of the alloy caving in, and intermittent explosions echoing through space, casting red flames and streams of smoke into the void.

On the surface of Planet Phydia, massive tectonic plates floated chaotically above the mantle. Steaming lava spewed high into the air, forming kilometer-high lava flows that cooled into rain and flooded the landscape, before seeping back into the mantle through depressions in the plates.

"The geological disasters on Planet Phydia are so severe!" Xavier was stunned by the scene before him. This was no mere natural disaster; it was clear evidence of an impact from a massive celestial body!

"No, that can't be right. With the Phydia people's advanced technology, they would have detected an extraterrestrial impact. The current devastation suggests that the Phydia people had no time to react before their surface was destroyed!"

Doubts clouded Xavier's mind, quickly dismissing the likelihood of a celestial impact. Instead, it seemed the core's sudden change was unlikely to be so rapid.

"Someone has attacked Planet Phydia!" Xavier realized, recognizing that the scene before him must have been caused by a massive energy assault.

What kind of energy could inflict such devastation on a planet so reinforced by high technology?

Despite the planet's reinforced weak points, it was still left in ruins.

Xavier's expression darkened with the gravity of the situation. To cause such destruction, the attacker must possess formidable power, likely exceeding 10,000 in combat strength.

In the cosmos, 10,000 combat strength marks a significant threshold. Below it, even massive assaults could at most extinguish a planet's species, but completely destroying a planet was not so easily achieved.

Only a warrior with combat strength above 10,000 could cause such catastrophic damage to Planet Phydia, perhaps even someone of Frieza's ilk, whose full-powered strike could erase a planet from existence.

Xavier couldn't help but wryly smile; he had only intended to recruit some high-tech talents for his ranks, yet he had stumbled upon such calamity.

"However, this could simplify the subjugation process amidst such great adversity."

Subsequently, Xavier began to keenly sense the energy responses on Planet Phydia.

Soon, he detected thousands of faint life forces on the planet—these were the indigenous people of Planet Phydia, the very individuals Xavier sought to find.

The energy of the Planet Phydia natives was faint, like tiny candles flickering in the ferocious power enveloping the planet, their light at risk of being extinguished by the tempestuous end times. Besides these native energy responses, he also sensed several hundred significantly stronger presences.

These energies each surpassed a power level of 1,000, with a rare few even reaching 3,000.

"Planet Phydia has indeed been besieged by foreign forces!" After a moment, Xavier opened his eyes, his face revealing an expression of realization.

Suddenly—

A profoundly powerful energy entered Xavier's range of perception from a far greater distance.

"That energy..."

Xavier's expression instantly grew grave; the energy felt chillingly cold, as if he had suddenly detected a massive iceberg, its presence...even across thousands of kilometers, chillingly palpable.

"Such a malevolent energy, stronger than mine, at least 20,000 in power level!"

Xavier was astounded; this was probably the most formidable energy he had encountered since entering the world of Dragon Ball.

Moreover, around that formidable energy, dozens of energies with over 1,000 power levels hovered.

"It seems this planet has already been marked by others. But why, after so long, have they not eradicated the indigenous people of Planet Phydia? Could they be searching for something?"

As many questions flashed through his mind, Xavier immediately concealed his own energy; he had to be exceedingly cautious to avoid detection.

Navigating through a city with streets erupting with lava, Xavier appeared in a vast open square in the city's capital, where a giant statue had toppled, shattering into several pieces.

This square, once expansive and majestic, now lay under rubble and ruins, its grand atmosphere of joy and laughter gone.

Standing there, a wave of desolation and melancholy washed over him.

In this place, Xavier sensed no signs of life; the people who once lived here had all fled.

"It seems everyone has escaped here, huh?"

Pausing, Xavier sensed a massive congregation of energies 300 kilometers to the northeast, and a power level exceeding 1,000 unleashing havoc, with the count of feeble lives gradually diminishing.

Inside a vast metallic shelter, countless Phydia people hid behind barriers.

Outside, an alien clad in traditional armor, his arms strapped with tubular energy blasters, unleashed bursts of dark red energy waves.

Boom! A huge hole was blasted through the metal shelter, exposing thousands of Phydia people directly to the alien's view.

"Muahaha, so this is where you were hiding. You sure made me look hard for you. Just tell me where the ancient warrior is, and maybe, just maybe, I'll spare you lot," the alien boasted arrogantly, his scaly skin emitting a harsh, sizzling noise.

The Phydia people retreated in fear, their faces etched with terror, as they looked up hopelessly at the space warrior.

"We truly know nothing of any ancient warrior, please, spare us—spare the children at least!" a leader-like figure stepped forward, pleading.

The alien snorted, his tongue flicking out like a lizard's.

"You miserable little dwarfs dare to deceive the wise Sithaxi with your lies? Let me tell you, Lord Zarbon has already informed us that you Phydia know the whereabouts of the ancient warrior," Sithaxi, the alien, roared furiously.

Clearly, Sithaxi considered himself a clever being, already convinced by Lord Zarbon's words.