The Nuotan forces kept surging forward, and since the Red Feather Army was small, they were soon overwhelmed, their defense lines crumbling as if on the verge of collapse at any moment.

Everyone in the Andu Empire felt an unbearable anxiety; every passing second was agonizing. And that Yun Zhongyu was still nowhere to be seen, earning him countless curses in their hearts.

Just as the Red Feather Army was about to give way, a figure suddenly appeared beside Qin Liuxing and commanded, "Go."

The group rejoiced, following closely behind him toward the central Memorial Tower.

At that very moment, the Red Feather Federation behind them finally buckled. The Nuotan army broke through their lines, slicing and encircling them; every single mecha now faced over a dozen enemies.

The enemy forces in the rear pressed their pursuit of Zhong Yun and the others.

The Memorial Tower had been built long ago to commemorate the discovery of this planet; it was the tallest and grandest structure on the capital planet, the very nexus of the entire city.

Before Zhong Yun even arrived, the massive doors of the Memorial Tower swung open. He ushered Qin Liuxing inside in a flash, and in the blink of an eye, they were within. Once everyone from the Andu Empire was safely inside, the doors slammed shut.

Fifty meters from the Memorial Tower, a massive, white, egg-shaped energy barrier snapped into existence, enveloping the entire structure and blocking the pursuing Nuotan army outside.

"Hoo." Hong Yu wiped a cold bead of sweat from his brow. Among them all, his strength was undoubtedly the weakest; if Zhong Yun hadn't pulled him along from time to time, he would have been left behind long ago.

Even though they knew the enemy was still outside, the moment the doors closed, everyone felt an immense sense of relief wash over them.

"Now is not the time to relax," Zhong Yun's solemn voice resonated.

A tension instantly gripped everyone's hearts, daring them not to slacken as they tightly followed Zhong Yun.

Possessing supreme clearance, Zhong Yun moved forward without hindrance. A topographical map of the Memorial Tower hovered before him. After navigating several turns left and right, they arrived at a small room.

It was an exhibition hall, but at that moment, no one had the presence of mind to notice what artifacts the room contained. Once everyone was still, silence descended, their breathing barely audible.

Only a faint click sound could be heard. The room rotated slightly, and then they felt the floor begin to descend—it was an elevator chamber.

Ten minutes later, the elevator's descent slowed, stopping soon after. The doors hissed open, and Zhong Yun stepped out first.

Outside was an enormous space, its ceiling soaring over fifty meters high, the floor area comparable to a dozen football fields. In the center stood eight thick pillars, forming a heptagonal configuration. In the middle of the pillars was a black void, about ten meters in diameter.

A group of people was already lined up before the pillars, patiently walking one by one into the black hole. Zhong Yun instantly recognized it as a sustained spatial conduit—meaning this passage remained constantly open, allowing continuous entry without needing to go in batches.

The sudden appearance of Zhong Yun's group drew little attention; only a few younger individuals glanced their way.

On the opposite side, another group of dozens was emerging from a doorway set into the wall, flooding toward the end of the line before the black hole. Clearly, the Memorial Tower housed more than one such passage.

"Quick, secure positions!" Gu Yi and the others communicated telepathically, letting out sharp calls as they rushed toward the line. The rest reacted instantly, following close behind.

When Gu Yi said "secure positions," he wasn't suggesting they cut in line—that was absurd. The ten individuals maintaining order near the void all exuded the terrifying aura of Grandmaster-level experts. They wouldn't hesitate; if anyone dared to jump the queue, those ten Grandmasters would reduce them to dust.

If not for the presence of these ten Grandmasters enforcing order, the scene would not have been so orderly; they would have been fighting tooth and nail.

They needed to reach the end of the line before the group emerging from the far side. In this critical moment, every second was vital.

The group approaching from the other end clearly understood this, and they immediately increased their speed.

Zhong Yun narrowed his eyes, taking Qin Liuxing’s hand, and murmured, "Get ready. The moment I speak, release your power backward."

Qin Liuxing’s heart clenched as he suddenly realized Zhong Yun's intention. He nodded hard, his hand gripping the silver crescent-shaped pendant tightly.

Just then, a person stepped into the black hole, and a young man behind him lifted his foot to follow. Suddenly, a figure flashed before the void, and two people materialized right there, squeezing the young man behind them.

The sudden appearance of two people out of thin air stunned everyone. But not everyone was too slow to react. Standing beside the nearest pillar was a Grandmaster-level expert who reacted almost instantly. He roared fiercely, "How dare you…" A ball of pale cyan flame materialized on his fingertip, and with a flick, it shot toward the two who dared to cut in line before him.

"Hmph." A chilling snort exploded in the ears of everyone present, accompanied by a wave of screams. Many of the weaker individuals were sent reeling, their ears bleeding, instantly knocked unconscious.

Even the ten Grandmasters present were stunned, seeing stars, though they recovered almost immediately. But by then, the two intruders had already passed through the black hole, leaving behind chaos among the crowd.

The ten Grandmasters’ faces were ashen. Right under their noses, someone had cut the line and escaped safely. This was tantamount to a blatant slap to their faces.

If it weren't for this crisis concerning the survival of their nation, their proud hearts would never have allowed them to stand here maintaining order.

The Grandmaster who had lunged to stop them was consumed by shame and fury. He spoke in a cold voice, "I leave this place to you all. I want to see who has the audacity to offend me, Yue." His tone was laced with chilling killing intent. As soon as the words left his mouth, he strode into the black hole.

The people of the Andu Empire, who were rushing toward the line, watched in stunned silence. They never imagined that Yun Zhongyu would be so brazen; their hearts were filled with both terror and admiration.

Zhong Yun stepped out of the black hole, and a layer of purple energy instantly surged around him as a shield. He swept his gaze across the surroundings: ahead was an open expanse, and not far off, several flight vehicles were parked.

About ten meters ahead, a group of people was gathered, clearly having arrived from the other side, and belonging to the same faction. Seeing that Zhong Yun and the other emerged, those people looked utterly bewildered.

Outside the black hole, there were also several pillars, and beside them, about a dozen soldiers stood guard, weapons ready, fully alert.

A purple light flashed in Zhong Yun's eyes. His "Fix" technique surged outward, not only freezing the dozen soldiers but also immobilizing the group ten meters away.

He turned to face the black hole, brushed his hand against the mecha key around his neck, and instantly summoned a long alloy saber. He roared, "Xiao Xing!"

Qin Liuxing understood. Primordial energy surged within him, and he pushed his palm forward. After three years of arduous training, his control over his ability was flawless; he could contain it precisely within a one-meter radius, not one meter and one.

Using his full strength, he created a zone of energy silence—a "Dead Zone"—in the area before the black hole.

Two seconds later, a figure emerged. Zhong Yun's eyes narrowed, the tip of his saber trembled, cutting an illusory arc through the air, and it descended toward the figure's head.

Yue, upon emerging, had anticipated a possible attack, but being highly skilled, he felt no fear. As he stepped out of the void, his Yuan energy erupted from his body.

His specialty lay in defensive shields, capable of withstanding high-powered shuttle cannons for short bursts. He was the foremost defender of the Red Feather Federation. While he knew one of his attackers was powerful, he never believed he could breach his defenses.

Yue sneered internally as the saber swung toward him just as his Yuan energy began to manifest externally, yet before his shield could fully form, most of it dissipated. He was horrified—a spatial restriction?

The thought barely crossed his mind before he felt a chill at his throat, and a large amount of blood erupted, his vision darkening. His last sight was the contemptuous smile on the lips of the man swinging the blade.

I actually died like this?

This was his final thought.

A Grandmaster-level powerhouse, dead silently, so easily, so unbelievably.

Zhong Yun felt his arm go numb as the saber severed the man's head. He glanced at the blade and saw a chip missing from the edge. He was inwardly shocked; the shield erected under the influence of Qin Liuxing’s lawful power was incredibly resilient.

After killing hundreds at the Zhao family residence, the alloy saber hadn't sustained the slightest scratch, yet killing just this one man had chipped the blade. If it hadn't been for the element of surprise, coupled with Qin Liuxing's terrifyingly monstrous law power, killing Yue would have required immense effort.

The dozen soldiers and several dozen bystanders nearby were pale with shock by this sudden event. The slain man was instantly recognizable throughout the Red Feather Federation: Four-Star General Yue, one of the nation's top experts.

In the Red Feather Federation, Four-Star General was an honorary title bestowed upon all Grandmaster-level experts by the state.

They could never have imagined that the seemingly invincible expert in their eyes would be decapitated by a single strike from this youth.

The youth turned, his gaze sweeping over them. Recalling that he had just killed a Four-Star General, an intense fear rose in everyone present.

A ball of purple energy appeared in Zhong Yun’s hand. With a flick, it transformed into hundreds of purple darts, carrying immense penetrating power, obliterating everyone present. Without sparing them another glance, he grabbed Qin Liuxing and vanished from the spot in a flash.

The force that had bound them was gone, but no one dared to move. Before the black hole, Yue’s headless corpse continued to bleed, the crimson spreading to the edge of the platform, dripping steadily downward.

"I'm finally out... Ouch—"

At that moment, a man stumbled out of the black hole, cheering wildly, but he tripped over something, falling head over heels. Struggling to stand, he erupted in curses, "TDD, what the—"

He turned and saw the headless corpse. His words seemed to be severed by invisible scissors. A gurgling sound came from his throat, his face turned ashen, and he stumbled backward several steps before plopping onto the ground.

He scrambled up and rushed forward, then looked up, letting out a piercing scream that tore through the peaceful sky.

Yue’s death sent massive shockwaves through the Red Feather Federation. Dying in battle would have been one thing, but he was killed by his own people within their borders, and in such a dishonorable manner—assassinated by ambush.

The culprit was exceptionally cruel, and moreover, had slaughtered all the witnesses at the scene.

The President was furious and ordered the entire planet sealed off, dispatching massive forces to hunt down the murderer.

Suspicion quickly settled on the two who cut the line. Soon after, eyewitnesses pointed out that the pair had arrived with a larger group. After their identification, it was discovered that both culprits were people from the Andu Empire.

But it was too late. The several dozen people from the Andu Empire had passed through the rear passage, and leveraging their status as two Grandmaster-level experts, they had commandeered a small spaceship and left days prior.

Soon, the Federation had no time to pursue the matter further. Wave after wave of attacks from the Nuotan Empire kept them desperately busy, and the fall of the capital plunged military morale to its absolute lowest.

Meanwhile, after Zhong Yun committed the murders that day, he found a secluded spot, retrieved the Lone Goose, shoved Qin Liuxing into the rear cockpit, and climbed in himself.

The Lone Goose shot upward, breaking through the atmosphere at incredible speed and escaping into space.

"Brother Yun, are we really flying this mecha all the way to the Andu Empire?" Qin Liuxing couldn't hold back his question from the rear cockpit.

"Are you an idiot?" Zhong Yun couldn't help but roll his eyes. "We just need to reach the nearest Free Star."

"The nearest Free Star? How far is that?" Qin Liuxing asked humbly.

"According to the star charts, it should be about thirty light-years away," Zhong Yun replied.

"A light-year?" Qin Liuxing's eyes widened, leaving him speechless. After a long pause, he asked, "Are we going to fly for decades?"

Zhong Yun explained, "Don't worry. We just need to find a ride going in the right direction; it won't take more than a few months."

The Lone Goose was exceptionally powerful, capable of reaching light speed. Zhong Yun had scraped together dozens of tanks of raw stones before leaving, so energy was not an issue.

His mecha key always held a large supply of high-energy rations, enough to sustain one person for eight or ten years, so food wasn't a concern either.

Soon, Qin Liuxing learned what a "ride going in the right direction" meant. After flying for several days, they encountered a fleet of several dozen ships. Judging by their size and design, they appeared to be supply vessels belonging to the Red Feather Federation.

The Lone Goose approached slowly, finally attaching itself to the hull of one of the ships, remaining completely undetected.

On one hand, the Lone Goose's stealth capabilities were formidable; on the other, since they were within domestic space, the vigilance level wasn't as high.

By clinging to the Red Feather Federation vessel, they could pass through the spatial jump points across Red Feather territory effortlessly. If he hadn't been saddled with Qin Liuxing, Zhong Yun would have found an opportunity to infiltrate the ship's interior long ago, but now he was confined to the mecha.

Fortunately, although the mecha cabin wasn't large, its design was very ergonomic, preventing any discomfort even after prolonged confinement.

Accompanying this supply convoy, they passed through several spatial jump points. Finally, one day, Zhong Yun maneuvered the Lone Goose away from that ship. He had no intention of ending up on a battlefield, so as they neared the border of the Red Feather Federation, he set off on his own again.

A month later, they had flown clear of the Red Feather Federation's territory. One day, they encountered another ship and hitched another ride.

Thus, after several months, Zhong Yun and Qin Liuxing finally arrived at the nearest Free Star.