Following the Empress Dowager's forceful dissolution of the Senate. Yang Ying and Xin Dai were returning to the palace prepared for them by the Royal Family. Along the way, the group continued to discuss the event and the potential ramifications it held for the Empire.

"Removing the Senate as an obstacle will certainly make things easier for the Royal Family moving forward," Landon frowned, "but sending those Senators back to their respective territories might stir up even greater trouble."

"It's fine."

Bai Bai appeared much calmer than Landon. She hopped in front of the group, a small smile gracing her face. "As long as Sister and Mother Empress hold the New Awakening Potions, they hold the very destiny of the Empire. They certainly won't lose. Besides, there's still Brother Yang Ying."

The little girl wriggled coyly. "Brother Yang Ying can do anything! How could a scoundrel like Sandwo stand a chance against him?"

Katerina let out a soft chuckle, stepping forward to take Bai Bai's hand and gently tapping her nose. "You little rascal, you certainly have a sweet tongue."

The group had barely settled into the palace when the Empress Dowager’s voice suddenly echoed in Yang Ying's mind. "Lord Yang Ying."

Yang Ying paused the conversation, replying mentally, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager. What is the matter?" In Yang Ying's estimation, the Empress Dowager should be occupied with appeasing the Royal faction's Senators who remained.

Dispersing the Senate by force was an action with wide-reaching consequences. The Royal Family might have informed a few core figures loyal to them within the Senate beforehand, but it was impossible to have informed every Senator. Now that events had unfolded, there would inevitably be some confused Senators needing placation.

Since she sought him out at this moment, the matter must be of considerable importance.

"There is an operation that requires the assistance of yourself, Lord Blade, and Lady Katerina."

The Empress Dowager swiftly recounted the situation. It turned out that she and Empress Eremia had prepared for the possibility of civil war even before the day's action commenced. Should civil war erupt, the most critical asset would undoubtedly be military strength. The Empire's primary military force—the Imperial Cosmic Army—had been firmly controlled by Sandwo ever since the joint invasion by the fifteen races of the Perseus Arm. Even after the Empire's counter-attack, Sandwo refused to relinquish command. The Royal Family had made numerous attempts to reclaim control, but the Senate’s obstruction had rendered them fruitless.

Now, with civil war looming, allowing Sandwo to retain command of the Imperial Cosmic Army was extremely perilous. Therefore, according to the plan conceived by the Empress and the Empress Dowager, while the Empress Dowager led forces to surround the Senate, the Empress would personally move to seize control of the Imperial Cosmic Army’s authority.

Although Empress Eremia's innate spiritual power was only at the Fourth Level Lower Tier, within the star systems covered by the Empire's deep Force Sea, she could exert strength equivalent to the Fourth Level Peak. Coupled with her supreme imperial status, gaining control of the army would not be difficult, provided she could reach the Imperial Cosmic Army's base.

After all, the Imperial Cosmic Army had always been loyal to the Empire and the Royal Family, not to Sandwo. While Sandwo held the rank of Imperial Marshal, it paled in comparison to the Empress’s personal presence.

"My leading the army to surround the Senate had a crucial secondary objective: to keep Sandwo occupied, besides dissolving them. To maintain secrecy, we took a high-risk gamble—no one else was informed, only Eremia and I knew. Eremia just messaged me; she has succeeded. Yasuvin and Millerum, whom Sandwo sent to guard the fleet, have both been driven out by her. This means Sandwo certainly knows by now. The fleet is currently heading toward the capital star. I need you three Lords to depart immediately to escort Eremia. The coordinates are..."

Though the Empress Dowager conveyed a great deal, for beings at the Fourth Level, this amounted to merely a fleeting thought, not even requiring a full breath.

Upon hearing this, Yang Ying did not hesitate. He nodded. "Very well, we will depart at once."

Yang Ying transmitted the Empress Dowager’s request to the group mentally, adding, "There is no time to lose. Blade, Katerina, and I will leave now."

Landon and Bai Bai understood the gravity of the situation. Bai Bai urged anxiously, "Brother Yang Ying, hurry on your way, and please be very careful!"

"Relax," Yang Ying patted her head, waved his hand, tore open a wormhole to the coordinates provided by the Empress Dowager, and stepped through with Blade and Katerina.

Seeing them depart, Landon said to Bai Bai, "Your Highness, shall we return to the inner chambers?"

"Mm," Bai Bai nodded.

Yang Ying, Katerina, and Blade emerged from the other side of the wormhole to behold an overwhelmingly vast fleet. It was magnificent and imposing, its formation stretching across tens of thousands of kilometers, numbering over three million vessels!

While this number seemed small compared to the allied forces of the Orion Arm or Perseus Arm—where combined fleets often exceeded ten million—if these forces engaged head-on, these three million vessels were capable of annihilating three hundred million allied warships!

Due to a prolonged period of relative peace within the Empire, where piracy and rebellions were localized and never threatened the foundation of the state, the current strength of the Imperial Cosmic Army was sufficient for maintaining routine security. The Empire had not undertaken large-scale military expansion in a long time.

The moment Yang Ying stepped out of the wormhole, he felt a probing spiritual force sweep over their location. This specific spiritual fluctuation belonged to Empress Eremia.

"Lord Yang Ying, it is good that you have arrived. I can finally rest assured," the Empress’s voice carried a sense of profound relief, as if a great burden had been lifted.

Having three experts at the Fourth Level Limit within the escort party was enough to handle most unforeseen incidents.

Yang Ying responded, and he, Katerina, and Blade merged with the main fleet. The Empress specifically allocated three high-grade command ships for them, allowing them to link into the Godhead System and amplify their own spiritual power using the might of the entire fleet.

The fleet was clearly waiting at these coordinates for them. Upon receiving the escort, the fleet activated its superluminal engines, pushed thrust to maximum, and initiated a spatial jump.

The fleet traveled through hyperspace for about half an hour, and everything appeared normal. As they sailed, the Empress explained her plan to Yang Ying and the others. Seizing the Imperial Cosmic Army was merely the first step; she had many more stages to execute sequentially.

"Your Majesty the Empress, using my Higher Spiritual Sight to observe the future, I foresee that this operation will not proceed smoothly," Yang Ying suddenly stated.

"I understand," the Empress replied. "It is impossible that Sandwo would watch us take the fleet and do nothing. I, too, see turbulent undercurrents and hidden reefs in the River of Time. There should be several more hurdles to clear before we bring this fleet back to the capital sphere, but I don't know what measures Sandwo has prepared."

"Sandwo has used his power to shroud many things. I cannot discern the exact methods he will employ, but one thing I am certain of: a strong undercurrent has already reached us," Yang Ying said.

As his words faded, the entire fleet suddenly shuddered violently. The surrounding hyperspace view abruptly receded, revealing the stark reality of the cosmic expanse.

"The spatial jump has been forcibly terminated! What is happening? No—it’s worse than that. My connection to the Godhead System has also been severed! The fleet control system is paralyzed!" The Empress’s voice held a note of grim seriousness. "Lord Yang Ying, is this the undercurrent you spoke of?"

"It should be," Yang Ying admitted. He hadn't placed much hope in the Godhead System anyway. Sandwo had commanded the Imperial Cosmic Army for a full year; tampering with the system would have been too easy for him.

Yang Ying directed his gaze toward the front of the fleet. In that direction, about a dozen wormholes suddenly materialized. From each one stepped a figure. Many were familiar faces: Millerum, Yasuvin, Femud, Abili, Dokaris, and Nalyvi—all subordinates of Sandwo—had seemingly arrived, along with several unfamiliar figures whose exposed spiritual fields indicated they were at least High Tier Fourth Level experts. "Yasuvin, Millerum, why do you stand in my way? I just ordered you to leave. How could you return so quickly? What have you made of my command?!"

The Empress's cold voice proclaimed her fury.

Yasuvin, enveloped by fine runes, stepped forward and spoke, "Your Majesty, while you hold the supreme position of the Empire, you should not act arbitrarily. Your action to seize the Imperial Cosmic Army is illegal and unauthorized by the Senate. We do not recognize it. I ask that you return the fleet."

"The Imperial Cosmic Army has always been loyal to the Royal Family. When the Empire was invaded by the Perseus Arm, Sandwo was granted temporary command authority. Now that the war is over, it is only proper for the Royal Family to reclaim that authority. What standing does the Senate have to object?!" the Empress retorted sharply. "It is useless to argue this now. I order you to clear the way, or I shall charge you with treason!"

Millerum, shrouded in black energy, spoke in a sharp, raspy voice, "It seems reasoning is futile."

He raised his withered hand, and behind him, warships began to materialize like rainfall. Within seconds, they formed a massive battle array, totaling nearly half a million vessels!

"The Regent's Guard!" The Empress's voice carried a hint of gravity. "You anticipated my move and set an ambush here?"

"Just a precaution," Yasuvin replied. "The Regent King is invincible and meticulous; how could he leave no contingency? The system controls for the Imperial Cosmic Army ships are already locked down and unusable. However, we possess a fleet here. Your Majesty, please see reality for what it is and hand the Imperial Cosmic Army back to us."