To the representatives of various races, even though they could not definitively confirm the eradication of the "hive mind" threat, the prospect of the Zerg collapsing was still a plausible path toward resolving the Zerg plague. The decapitation strike strategy was deemed worthwhile.

At worst, they would still retain a final recourse: using the main cannons of their fleets to turn any planet showing signs of Zerg infestation, along with the Zerg upon them, into dust, thereby resolving the entire issue fundamentally. Even if most considered the price of this choice too steep, when the crisis of the Zerg plague threatened their very species, the grim decision to cut off a limb to save the body became inevitable.

At that moment, countless representatives among the races secretly regretted their initial hesitation. If they had destroyed every planet showing Zerg signs with overwhelming force from the outset, the sooner that decision was made, the less impact it would have had now.

Regrettably, what has passed cannot be changed. A Fourth Tier existence could foresee the future, but could not alter the history that had already unfolded.

In the council, Yingmuli’s proposal was swiftly passed. After the meeting, more than a dozen Fourth Tier existences gathered to discuss the proposal in greater depth.

Since the target was the Blade Emperor, who possessed the peak strength of the Fourth Tier, it was obvious that sheer masses of warships could not eliminate him. Only a Fourth Tier existence could kill another Fourth Tier existence.

However, the combined forces of the allied races currently could not produce anyone with strength comparable to the Blade Emperor. Looking across the entire Expeditionary Force, the only one possessing the ultimate mental power of the Fourth Tier was Sharuo, the guardian deity of the Saikro people.

Without an opponent of equal strength to hold the Blade Emperor in check, even if he couldn't win against a swarm attack, the Blade Emperor's chances of a clean escape would significantly increase. Neither Yingmuli nor Emperor Salian felt confident enough to take on that pivotal role.

"The problem is not just that," Emperor Salian stated. "The foremost issue now should be how to lure him out. He is a peak Fourth Tier existence; he won't casually step into a perimeter we set up. If we simply posture, and he is genuinely drawn in, we must then worry that he has laid a trap for us."

"His Majesty speaks wisely," Yingmuli mused. "Deceiving an entity whose mental power surpasses ours is beyond our capability. Thus, drawing the target into a trap is almost impossible; rather, we must be wary of any trap he might set for us."

"I believe that passively waiting for him to take the bait is unfeasible," said Xidilun, the God of Slaughter of Luoya. "Therefore, we must take the initiative."

"Lord Xidilun, I understand your meaning," Yingmuli nodded. "To strike first, to seize the initiative. But to do so, we will need to prepare a joint divination ritual, searching the river of time to trace his movements and determine his location."

"Precisely," Xidilun affirmed. "In a battle between Fourth Tier entities, the one who strikes first often gains the advantage. If we wait for him to act, he will certainly have a complete plan worked out. By moving first, we secure the initiative."

"To perform the joint divination ritual, we first require a medium—a medium capable of connecting to the target." Yingmuli calculated aloud. "Yes. Zerg units can serve as mediums; their consciousness is linked to higher Zerg entities. With a substantial number of Zerg troops, we can utilize this mental link, combined with devices like the Eye of Spiritual Perception, to have a high probability of locating his position."

Yingmuli continued his calculations. "However, to conduct such a ritual, the presiding figure must possess mental strength no weaker than the target. Furthermore, after launching the surprise attack, someone must still take on the task of containment. We are back at square one. For this operation, we must persuade Lord Sharuo to act!"

"Lord Sharuo previously claimed that the Saikro people have no fundamental conflict with the Zerg and thus would not join our campaign against them," Xidilun stated. "However, now that the Zerg have been harassing various colonies, their incursions have touched upon Saikro territory. This might change Lord Sharuo's original stance."

"This is excellent; let us make the journey then," Emperor Salian declared, waving a hand.

On the first colony established by the Saikro people, Sharuo stood atop a high mountain peak, gazing upward. Several kilometers above him, two spatial rifts materialized.

From one rift emerged Yingmuli, and from the other, Emperor Zholian appeared.

Immediately afterward, more than a dozen additional rifts opened, and nearly all the Fourth Tier existences from the allied fleet arrived one after another.

"I already know the reason for your visit," Sharuo said. "You may return; I will not participate in this matter."

The brows of the assembled Fourth Tier existences furrowed. Emperor Salian stepped forward. "The Zerg plague has become the Expeditionary Force's greatest menace. To resolve this, Lord Sharuo, you are the key. Besides you, how are we supposed to deal with their leader? Orion—"

"You fools, you fail to see the deeper power hidden behind the Zerg," Sharuo chastised mercilessly. "If I were you, I would initiate the ultimate plan immediately, even if it meant turning the Perseus Arm into ruins and eradicating all colonies, just to prevent the Zerg from ever having the chance to develop."

None of the dozen or so Fourth Tier existences posed the foolish question, "Why didn't you say so then?" They were beings of immense wisdom; any difficulty could be grasped instantly. They understood the situation back then—none of them had truly recognized the horror of the Zerg, so no matter what Sharuo said, they would not have agreed to destroy every planet under Zerg control.

Moreover, even if Sharuo had spoken then, the Zerg might have evolved in different ways, leading to a situation that might not be any better than the current one.

After all, what is done is done. They could not change the past, and dwelling on it was utterly pointless.

"A deeper power hidden behind the Zerg? What is that?" Yingmuli immediately pressed.

"At that moment, Sharuo let out a cold laugh, about to reply, when his expression suddenly shifted drastically. He roared, 'Not good!'"

The dozen Fourth Tier existences also sensed impending doom. Suddenly, thirteen enormous spatial rifts tore open in the void, and from each rift stepped a figure.

They shared an identical form: grotesque chitinous armor, unfurled bone wings, and spiked joints, reflecting a hazy, purplish-red glow in the lingering sunset.

They were all Blade Emperors, all possessing the ultimate power of the Fourth Tier!

The explosive growth of the Zerg across various colonies had more than doubled the psychic tribute Yang Ying received, and now, he had assembled a lineup of thirteen.

It could be said that this formation was the most luxurious and formidable assembly in the entire galaxy, second only to the Elder Council of the True Human Empire.

Of course, to assemble this force, Yang Ying's main body, Blade, and three Protoss Shadow Consuls had simultaneously suppressed their power, retaining only the basic three million units of Fourth Tier psychic strength. Yang Ying had orchestrated everything for this day; during this time, Katerina was tasked with protecting the main body's safety.

"Your trump card is even greater than what I perceived!" Sharuo showed a flicker of alarm, but his movements were unhesitating. In a flash, he moved to stand alongside the more than a dozen Fourth Tier existences of the Expeditionary Force, the two sides facing each other across the void.

Several Fourth Tier existences within the Expeditionary Force tried to tear open the spatial rifts but failed. They used telepathic communication to relay the situation: "Space is locked down. We are surrounded."

"It took me considerable effort to calculate the timing for today," one Blade Emperor stepped forward to state.

This was the truth. To achieve this moment, Yang Ying and several of his avatars had spent days immersed in the river of time, analyzing various future possibilities. As Fourth Tier existences, their own space and time were protected by their mental power.

This protection manifested in the river of time as constant torrents and hidden reefs surrounding them. Whenever Yang Ying observed them through the river, touching these currents or reefs risked detection and the revelation that someone was spying on their future.

Therefore, for this day, Yang Ying had been meticulously and cautiously observing the river of time, minimizing his own presence, and directing his perceptive gaze gingerly around the dozen or so Fourth Tier existences of the Expeditionary Force.

He paid less attention to those at the peak of the Fourth Tier, like Yingmuli, Emperor Salian, and Xidilun, to reduce the possibility of discovery, while increasing his focus on the weaker entities, as they were less wary than Yingmuli and the others.

Yang Ying and his avatars had expended immense effort just to pinpoint this specific location and temporal juncture from the river of time.

The reason for expending so much energy was that he had also foreseen that the victor between the Zerg and the allied races would be decided among the Fourth Tier existences. In a contest among Fourth Tier entities, waiting for the opponent to strike first was extremely foolish.

Because both sides possessed the ability to divine the future, even if they couldn't predict the opponent's exact actions, they could always gauge their probability of success before attacking, gaining a preliminary judgment of fortune or misfortune.

If the Expeditionary Force's Fourth Tier entities had attacked first, given Yang Ying's lineup of thirteen Blade Emperors, they would inevitably have foreseen a high probability of disaster before launching their offensive. Even using a single Blade Emperor as bait would have been useless; divination concerned the final outcome, not the process itself. As long as the ultimate result was their defeat, they would have foreseen it.

This is why the saying exists: "In a battle between Fourth Tier entities, the one who strikes first often gains the advantage." And for this very reason, Yang Ying chose to strike preemptively.