Master Kong Li’s gaze was soft, yet its essence was far sharper than Master Tu Xin’s. His eyes seemed capable of penetrating all superficial appearances, seeing into the very core of things. He possessed an innate understanding of every human endeavor throughout history and the driving forces behind them. With just a few sentences, he dissected millennia of human history with breathtaking clarity, truly like a Buddha delivering a sermon—heavenly flowers raining down, golden lotuses sprouting from the earth, every word a jewel, every utterance profoundly significant.

Yang Ying had never heard such incisive analysis before; it ran ten times deeper than his own understanding of the human world. History, religion, hatred, vested interests, hegemony, and the entire complex web of derivative factors had been tangled into an impenetrable knot over thousands of years in the human sphere. But Master Kong Li, with his exquisite explanations, deftly teased the threads apart, laying bare the past, present, and future of humanity before Yang Ying.

After all, Yang Ying was self-taught, his experiences largely gained through rapid advancement via his avatars, and he had yet to systematically consolidate his hundred-and-fifty-plus years of observation into the immeasurable wisdom Master Kong Li now possessed.

"Profound. Truly profound," Yang Ying sighed. "Hearing you speak is worth ten years of study. Now I understand why the ancients gave voice to such an exclamation."

"In truth, in the grand scheme of things, those are just empty words," Master Kong Li laughed heartily. "Humanity's future is forged by its own hands. More important than gazing up at the distant road ahead is bowing one's head and walking the path diligently. The future is inherently shrouded in mist; only by walking through it can one truly see. Past experience is merely a reference point, useful only for avoiding the same mistakes in the time to come."

Two hours later, Yang Ying emerged from the conference room with a newfound composure etched on his face.

"Judging by your expression, you must have made an important decision," Master Kong Li remarked as he escorted him out.

"Yes. Some things must be done now," Yang Ying smiled. "It has been truly wonderful visiting Nian Neng Temple today. The human world is so magnificent, and I intend to leave my mark upon this splendor—a very deep mark indeed."

"A pity," Master Kong Li continued as they walked. "Master Merlin is assisting Li Yosef in Saturn’s orbit, and Master Langdon is guarding the government facilities on Union Island. Otherwise, if we could all gather, there would be so much more to discuss."

"If you ever wish to visit Nian Neng Temple again, you are welcome anytime," Master Tu Xin added.

"Oh, right," Yang Ying suddenly slapped his forehead upon hearing the names of the other two peak masters and seeing the remaining peak masters before him. "I just remembered something I needed to ask. Who is that fifth peak master in the human world?"

Master Kong Li and Master Tu Xin exchanged a glance and nodded. Master Kong Li turned back to Yang Ying and said, "Since you ask, there’s no harm in telling you. However, that individual has been in seclusion for many years and has made no moves recently. Even if you knew his identity, do not seek him out; he currently values his quiet solitude."

"Understood," Yang Ying promised.

"He is not from Nian Neng Temple; he originates from the Holy Light Knight Order of the Christian Church," Master Kong Li stated.

Yang Ying’s heart stirred. He instantly recalled the individual his avatar had encountered.

Master Kong Li continued, "He was the leader of the Holy Light Knight Order for the two preceding generations, named Hayden Vanderheim. After becoming a Holy Knight, he was known as Saint Hayden. Over a hundred years ago, he stepped down from his duties and continued to cultivate the Holy Light, eventually reaching the pinnacle of the Holy Light realm—he can be called the Apex Paladin."

"So it was Saint Hayden," Yang Ying nodded. It was just as he suspected: Father Vanderheim from that small chapel! Even then, Yang Ying felt that priest was no ordinary man; over a century of cultivation had clearly propelled him far beyond the level of an ordinary Holy Knight.

After leaving the Elder Council Temple, Masters Kong Li and Tu Xin escorted Yang Ying all the way back to the landing pad.

As Yang Ying boarded the airship, he turned back to the two masters and said, "I have some initial thoughts regarding that specific moment. Please wait a few days for news from the front lines."

"Very well, we shall look forward to it," Master Tu Xin replied.

Master Kong Li seemed to perceive something and offered a warning: "Be careful. Ape King Hardik is not an easy opponent to handle."

Yang Ying smiled faintly. "I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Master." With that, he closed the hatch, and the airship ascended, soaring into the sky.

Watching the airship climb, Master Tu Xin turned and asked, "What did you mean by what you just said? Is Yang Ying going to seek out Hardik?"

Master Kong Li slowly shook his head. "I am not entirely certain myself, but when I saw him board the ship just now, and heard those words, I felt a subtle intuition."

"If you have an intuition, it is almost certainly true," Master Tu Xin said, looking up at the sky where the airship was rapidly shrinking until it vanished from sight.

After leaving Earth’s atmosphere, Yang Ying immediately summoned an avatar, transferred his main consciousness into it, and stored his original body on the Floating Continent. Then, the main consciousness shifted again to an avatar waiting in the base. He then summoned his original body out at the base and completed the transfer of his main consciousness into it.

In this manner, Yang Ying returned from Earth to his base in mere seconds, using the Floating Continent as a relay station. He proceeded to the command center and summoned Kalia.

"Sir. How was your trip to Nian Neng Temple?" Kalia asked as soon as she entered the command center.

"Extremely rewarding. Master Kong Li's insights exceeded my expectations. With him present, I trust this human world will not disappoint us," Yang Ying said, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Prepare to initiate Protocol Omega!"

"Protocol Omega!" Kalia looked up sharply. "That is the fastest, most intense plan?"

"Is there any other plan besides Protocol Omega?" Yang Ying walked to the window, gazing out at the endless starry expanse. "This war, which has dragged on for half a century, will end by my hand."

"Yes, Sir," Kalia bowed deeply. "I will notify Howard and the others to prepare immediately."

Three more Behemoth-class battlecruisers had recently completed construction; their total number now stood at six, and other warships were rapidly approaching completion. Before the end of the month, the entire first batch of ten battlecruisers would be finished.

"No need to rush too much," Yang Ying turned back, a calm smile on his face. "We will wait a few more days before setting out—wait until the first batch of ten is complete. That will give our deployment a bit more flexibility. Until then, I need time to adjust my body and mind, to bring my spiritual state to its absolute peak."

"Yes, Sir," Kalia saluted and left the command center.

Yang Ying turned back to the starscape and stared for a long time, murmuring to himself, "It has been five months since I last engaged in combat, not since Harthas died. I truly need to recalibrate."

Katerina entered, seeing Yang Ying standing motionless by the window, silent. She quietly prepared a cup of hot tea, its delicate, elegant fragrance rising, and handed it to Yang Ying.

Yang Ying smiled, took the teacup from her hand, and took a gentle sip.

A few days later, the mercenaries, who had just concluded the Saturn campaign and returned to the Asteroid Belt, were busy once more. The Earth military had issued the highest-bounty war mission to date in Vorrel: reclaim the Twin King Star defense line!

Over eight hundred warships from the mercenary contingent were once again assembled, joining two first-line main fleets rushing from the Inner Solar System, and set course toward the Saturn front.

This was the support force Li Yosef had long awaited. Several days later, the combined fleet reached Saturn, bringing the total size of the regular army fleet to ten squadrons, comprising over sixty-five hundred warships, nearly two thousand of which were main combat vessels of Destroyer class or larger!

Including the mercenary fleets, the total force numbered over seventy-three hundred warships, which set sail from Saturn toward the Twin King Star defense line!

However, what struck many as peculiar was that the renowned Tran Mercenary Group did not take on this war mission. Not a single ship from the Tran Mercenary Group was among the more than seven thousand vessels in the Joint Fleet.

Many found this odd, yet neither Li Yosef nor the Mercenary Alliance voiced any discontent. Li Yosef remained silent because he had received intelligence from Master Kong Li that the Tran Mercenary Group was planning a massive operation that would directly impact the course of the war. As for the Mercenary Alliance, they dared not express dissatisfaction toward the Tran Mercenary Group; their high command would be satisfied simply if the Tran Mercenary Group held no ill will toward them.

When the Joint Fleet led by Li Yosef reached the orbit of Uranus, the time was approaching the end of the year 2940, late in that calendar year.

Yang Ying welcomed the completion of his tenth Behemoth-class battlecruiser—unsurprisingly. He knew the time had come.

On this day, he placed his original body into a medical stasis pod within the base, transferred his main consciousness into a clone physically identical to his original body, and boarded the Behemoth.

At this moment, Yang Ying's gaze was calm. He wore an all-black combat robe, with an equally black cape draped behind him, its hem reaching about ankle height.

Arriving on the bridge, Yang Ying took his seat before the command chair and addressed the assembled crew, led by Howard, in a deep voice: "I declare... Protocol Omega is fully activated!"

"Yes! Sir! Protocol Omega is fully activated!" Howard repeated, then ordered the bridge staff, "All hands, check all systems! Prepare for departure!"

"Propulsion system nominal!" "Communications system nominal!" "Life support system nominal!" "Weapon systems nominal!" "Radar system nominal!" "Hyperspace system nominal!"

After hearing the reports from his staff, Howard nodded and waved his hand forward: "Set course!"

The ten Behemoth-class battlecruisers departed the secret base. After traveling some distance, they took a major routing channel to the outer edge of the Asteroid Belt. Several transport ships were moving back and forth there. Upon seeing the ten Behemoth battlecruisers, they immediately prepared to alter course, but then a sight appeared that left them utterly dumbfounded!

"Prepare for spatial jump..."

Seeing that there were no obstacles in the vast expanse of space, Howard gave the next order.

"Spatial jump readiness complete!"

"Execute jump..."

The ten Behemoth battlecruisers flashed instantaneously. A ring of energy seemed to flow from their bows, emitting a beautiful, shimmering light, instantly engulfing the ten cruisers and causing them to vanish without a trace.

"Spatial jump! That must have been a spatial jump..."

Even if one hadn't eaten pork, one had certainly seen a pig run. The captains of the few transport ships possessed professional knowledge, and the legendary super-technology of spatial jumping had been featured in science documentaries. They recognized it instantly, leading to a flurry of bewildered activity.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the ten battlecruisers burst out of hyperspace. They had arrived at the edge of the Solar System. A cold planet appeared on the radar and optical screens.

This was the base camp of the Ancient Legion: Pluto!