Inside Outpost One, Zhong Yun stood in the temporary operations center, his brow tightly furrowed. The latest intelligence transmitted from the Galactic Empire showed the enemy had halted just outside the nebula, methodically sweeping away all the "eyes" in the vicinity. At this rate, the surveillance network established by the Galactic Empire would soon be completely destroyed, rendering further intelligence gathering impossible.

His brow slowly smoothed out; Zhong Yun had already made up his mind. Judging by the enemy's deployment, they were clearly coming for him. Spending three years traversing several light-years, they obviously weren't just passing through.

After the Aier Nation was annihilated by the Galactic Empire, this vast region became unclaimed territory. For the Star Sea, where small nations were as numerous as hairs on an ox, this ownerless expanse was tantamount to a huge piece of fat meat. He didn't believe the enemy could resist being tempted. And to establish a foothold here, the first order of business was to destroy this existing power structure. How could one allow others to sleep soundly beside one's own bed?

The enemy possessed formidable military discipline and immense strength, surely not taking them seriously. Little did they know, the Galactic Empire had undergone rapid development in recent years, far surpassing its former self—no longer the mere Wu Xia A Meng of old. If they still measured their strength based on outdated intelligence, they were certain to give the enemy a massive surprise.

While their number of warships was slightly inferior, they compensated for the deficit in combat power with a sea of countless low-level mechs. In a straight fight, they might not lose. That was the first point.

Secondly, they possessed the advantage of home turf; the nebula belt surrounding Outpost One served as a natural barrier. Combined with the presence of Xiao Ling, who possessed immense computational power, their chances of victory were extremely high.

Most importantly, even if they were somehow defeated, the monstrous production capacity of Outpost One meant they could quickly restore their military strength. The composition of the Galactic Empire's fleet differed from others. During formal warfare, a "Planet-class" battleship carried a maximum of only ten thousand crew members; the rest were entirely optical brain mechs. Even if the entire force were annihilated, the losses would be extremely limited. Unlike other nations where a "Planet-class" battleship housed millions, losing a single fleet meant crippling injury. For advanced civilizations, losing tens of millions in a single engagement was not uncommon.

This was the Galactic Empire's first major battle, and for Zhong Yun, it was his first time commanding one of such magnitude. To say he wasn't nervous would be a lie.

Zhong Yun summoned all the high-ranking military personnel to discuss strategy. The Galactic Empire was a young nation, and its military leadership was excessively young, mirroring Zhong Yun himself—only twenty-eight. Tian Hai, Chen Wen, Zhang Xiao, and the others were all under thirty. At this age, holding a Colonel rank in other nations would be quite an achievement. Yet, before him sat a concentration of generals.

Zhong Yun looked at these young faces and sighed inwardly. If the fate of the army didn't carry such weight concerning national stability, he would never have entrusted it to this group of young whelps. These were the people he trusted, those without established roots, which was why he felt safe entrusting them with great responsibility. But facing actual war, whether they could win remained a huge question mark.

At this moment, he ignored the fact that his physiological age was only twenty-eight. His expression, however, was solemn. "You have all seen the enemy intelligence. Share your assessments." Since there were no qualified commanders, he would forge a batch of them. Zhong Yun thought through gritted teeth. With the peerless manufacturing capability of Outpost One and the near-infinite resources of the Star Sea backing him, he would smash his way through, forging an army tempered by a hundred battles.

A low buzz of discussion rose from below as they flipped through the intelligence reports. After a moment, one person stood up...

The enemy possessed fifteen "Planet-class" battleships, which was the greatest obstacle. One must remember that within the Galactic Empire, only the Mercury could match one of those opponents. They absolutely could not allow these fifteen main enemy vessels to exert their full power; otherwise, it would inflict heavy casualties on their fleet. Therefore, they must avoid direct confrontation as much as possible.

The first contact occurred three days later. Zhong Yun dispatched five "Quasi-Planet-class" battleships for reconnaissance. They engaged the enemy's patrol fleet in a localized skirmish. The fight concluded after half an hour, with losses on both sides. The Baishi Nation lost one "Quasi-Planet-class" battleship and five "Super-Satellite-class" escorts, with the rest damaged. The Galactic Empire lost one "Quasi-Planet-class" vessel and heavily damaged another. Neither side gained a clear advantage.

These probing engagements occurred several more times. As time passed, the exchanges escalated as if real fire had been lit. Starting with five "Quasi-Planet-class" ships, the scale grew to ten, then twenty, then thirty. In the final engagement, the Baishi Nation even committed five "Planet-class" main vessels, resulting in a decisive defeat for the Galactic Empire’s fleet, which retreated in disarray, abandoning thirty-six "Quasi-Planet-class" battleships. The Baishi Nation, however, achieved a pyrrhic victory, paying the heavy price of one "Planet-class" battleship. This was the largest confrontation since the two sides made contact.

Following this, the Galactic Empire’s warships retreated, abandoning their previous methods in favor of small-scale harassment tactics. The Baishi Nation’s fleet was constantly plagued by these raids.

Six months passed this way. The Galactic Empire's fleet remained hidden within the nebula, seemingly determined to hold its ground. The Baishi Nation's commander’s patience gradually wore thin. They could not build a base in peace until this armed force was eliminated.

Another year passed. They decided to penetrate the nebula sea and crush the enemy’s main base in one go. Over this year and a half of contact, the Baishi commander was confident they had largely grasped the enemy's strength profile. While the enemy had significantly more "Quasi-Planet-class" ships, they hadn't seen many "Planet-class" vessels. Even if they had a few, they couldn't have many, or they wouldn't have wasted so much time sparring here. Furthermore, their supply base was now established, capable of providing continuous replenishment, allowing them to confidently launch a major war. Adding to this, they had acquired the route maps of the nebula sea by destroying or capturing enemy vessels; what was once an impassable chasm had now become a thoroughfare.

They had traveled across unimaginable distances largely because of the "Relic of the Gods." With the Baishi Nation's power, there were dozens of vassal states at the level of Aier; their destruction was a normal occurrence to the high command of the Baishi Nation. However, when they heard the enemy emerged from the "Relic of the Gods," their attitude immediately shifted, piqued by extreme interest.

The "Relic of the Gods" had an immense reputation; for centuries, countless factions and organizations had ventured in, yet none had ever returned. Now, someone could safely enter and exit the "Relic of the Gods," instantly setting their nerves alight. A major power bloc within the Baishi Nation, after a round of internal contention, secured the mission to suppress this "bandit" force—though "bandit suppression" was secondary; exploration was the main goal. Their target was the treasure within the "Relic of the Gods."

This fleet's commander was sufficiently cautious, enduring for a year and a half. During this time, he dispatched several small teams into the nebula sea. Although these were eliminated midway, they largely confirmed that the route maps they obtained were genuine. The main force was mobilized. After the fleet's supreme commander delivered a rousing pre-battle speech, he led the main fleet with surging momentum towards the legendary "Relic of the Gods," the site where countless powers had met their doom.

The rear base was left to the deputy commander. For this expedition, the fleet committed its elite forces: ten "Planet-class" battleships, fifty "Quasi-Planet-class" battleships, and fifteen hundred "Super-Satellite-class" auxiliary vessels. The massive army swept into the nebula sea, which represented the "Relic of the Gods."

"They're here."

The moment the Baishi Nation's fleet entered the nebula sea, the lethargic operations center of the Galactic Empire instantly boiled over. Zhong Yun rushed to his combat post, rubbing his hands excitedly. "After waiting a year and a half, they finally lost their nerve. Is everyone prepared?" The last sentence was directed at the commanders and operations staff below him.

"Prepared!" Everyone had been suppressing their drive for a year and a half. Now that the enemy was in the net, it was time to reel it in; one and all were itching to fight.

"Good. Everyone follow my orders." Zhong Yun commanded with high spirits. "Move to your assigned stations. Operation 'Whale Hunt' is officially commencing."

The ports of Outpost One began buzzing with activity. The main operations headquarters was set up in Control Room Sector One, which also housed the base's defense system. Zhong Yun watched the vast, surging fleet on the main screen, a smile of assured victory playing on his lips. "I’ll let you experience the true power of the 'Relic of the Gods,'" he murmured, the sound echoing softly in the operations room.

The sudden fighting slightly impeded the Baishi Nation fleet’s advance. After penetrating some distance into the nebula sea, they came under enemy attack. However, against the Baishi Nation's overwhelming superiority, the enemy could only slow their momentum briefly; they couldn't halt them. Attacks continued along the way, causing considerable annoyance to the Baishi fleet, yet simultaneously bolstering their confidence—it seemed the enemy had indeed exhausted their options. The Baishi Nation fleet pressed inward through the nebula sea with the force of a mountain collapsing. And the enemies encountered grew more numerous and stronger.

Finally, they ran into the enemy's main force: nearly fifty "Quasi-Planet-class" battleships surged out, nearly catching them off guard. But under the fierce firepower of the ten "Planet-class" battleships, the tide of battle rapidly tilted in their favor. The Baishi commander believed this was the enemy’s final desperate counterattack; once these were eliminated, the legendary "Relic of the Gods" would open up completely to them.

P: Recommending a book, Beiming Divine Art by Huo Xu. As a supreme skill created by a Daoist immortal, besides having different cultivation methods and characteristics, it also imposes the stringent requirement of not being able to cultivate any other martial arts mental method simultaneously. Is the Beiming Divine Art truly just the ability to absorb others' internal force for one's own use as it appears on the surface?