The river was so dense with blackness that one couldn't see one's own fingers, and under the strict blackout conditions, not a single glimmer of starlight pierced the surface of Heaven Star.

Southern Hemisphere, Northern Hemisphere, Eastern Hemisphere, Western Hemisphere. The sky above Heaven Star was completely blanketed by dense warships. At a standard distance of three hundred light-seconds, with Heaven Star as the sphere's center, lay a metallic barrier, one hundred light-seconds thick, packed together densely like armies of ants ravenously devouring their prey. Countless warships from the major civilizations of the Star Alliance formed this heavy metallic wall.

How many warships were gathered here? Heaven knew, but man did not. Even the Viking Empire’s newly appointed Emperor, who commanded this massive offensive, had no true grasp of the numbers.

The sheer quantity of assembled warships, coupled with those still pouring in, had already exceeded the limits of normal human comprehension. It surpassed the capacity of the eighteen networked main super-brains running the Viking Empire’s battlefield command system.

A single central command headquarters quickly spun off into two battle sector headquarters. As the number of ships expanded beyond a critical threshold, the central command evolved to oversee twenty-four sector headquarters, followed by one hundred and seventy-two sub-sector headquarters. Currently, the Viking Emperor commanded thirty-six sector headquarters, three hundred and forty-three sub-sector headquarters, and over a thousand smaller regional staff offices. These vast numbers of command units managed the incomprehensibly huge fleet.

A dull roar echoed through space. Within the spherical volume three hundred light-seconds in diameter centered on Heaven Star, the air was thick with the exhaust fumes of the warships, allowing the sound of their flight to be heard directly. Ten squadrons, totaling three hundred thousand Star Alliance standard Level One warships, moved under the direction of the sub-sector commands, striking towards Heaven Star almost simultaneously.

The ten squadrons, ship end-to-end, resembled ten colossal black dragons swallowing up Heaven Star. They closed the distance rapidly. When they were still one hundred light-seconds away, the ships’ heavy armor plating collided with countless fragments of destroyed vessels. This generated massive showers of sparks and plumes of plasma energy mist. Even partially intact hulls slammed into the accelerating warships, creating sounds like hundreds of heavy cannons firing at once. The hurtling ships shuddered, while the mangled wrecks shattered into dust.

As the warships closed to within twenty light-seconds of Heaven Star, the protective armor over every main cannon retracted simultaneously. Millions of main cannons, of varying calibers, erupted in blinding white light.

For standard Level One warships of the Star Alliance, the muzzle caliber of a Level One ship from a Three-Star civilization was only about 120mm. For a Four-Star civilization, this increased to around 200mm. For a Five-Star civilization, the main cannon caliber suddenly jumped to roughly 360mm. The thirty thousand Level One warships drawn from various civilizations fired at once, their beam fire clearly manifesting in three distinct layers of thickness. In an instant, they tore through the void, hurtling toward Heaven Star.

For those three heartbeats, on the surface of Heaven Star, the high-energy beams descending from orbit were the only light visible to the naked eye.

With a massive hiss and roar from the sky, high above the ozone layer—already ravaged by previous high-energy beam impacts—hundreds of colossal energy shield generators suddenly spat out vast screens of blue light, several kilometers thick and stretching for hundreds of kilometers. These screens merged, completely covering the airspace above Heaven Star.

Beneath these projectors, piercingly bright columns of light, a hundred meters thick, shot up straight from the ground into the core of the generators, constantly supplying immense, seemingly infinite energy.

The bombardment from above instantly clashed with the energy shields on Heaven Star’s surface, spurting chaotic sheets of flame. Pits dozens to hundreds of meters wide appeared on the shields, swirling with seven-colored streams of light. A magnificent curtain of aurora, shimmering in seven colors, hung down above the shields, and the surface of Heaven Star suddenly brightened—so intensely that a half-blind person could clearly see the dust motes floating inches from their nose. The ground trembled faintly, and all the energy shield generators emitted a sharp whine as the pale blue light instantly flushed blood red.

A deep thrumming sound rose from the earth, and great formations of light flared across the surface. Near the pillars of light shooting from the ground into the sky, vast amounts of polychromatic light erupted: white, cyan, black, red, yellow—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth. The Five Elements light spun rapidly, and the volume and solidity of the light pillars instantly increased by an order of magnitude. The earth roared as immense energy surged from underground, feeding the high-altitude shield generators without cease. The light screens above turned blue again, so deep it was purplish, and then so dark it was nearly black. Millions of metal conduits, thick as human arms, plunged deep into the earth, linking several massive Spirit Veins of Heaven Star into one network. High-level Daoist formations transformed the vast, endless spiritual energy of the veins into Five Element energy, drawing it to the surface. Driven by these formations and advanced technological converters, the Five Element energy became pure photonic energy, supplying the overhead shield generators, creating a defense capable of enveloping the entire surface of Heaven Star. This was the perfect fusion of Daoist magic and technology; the whole planet had been forged into a fighting fortress.

From the high vantage point, the previously pitch-black surface of Heaven Star suddenly ignited. Hundreds of thousands of powerful light beams shot up from the planet’s mountains, forests, plains, and hills. These powerful beams, each at least ten meters in diameter, pierced the void instantly, extending into the Star Alliance warships closing in from above.

The heavy anti-aircraft fire effortlessly pulverized the frail armor of the Level One warships, skewering them like kebabs. Explosions erupted everywhere; ship after ship detonated before lifeboats could even launch. Over two hundred thousand of the charging three hundred thousand Star Alliance warships were annihilated.

The armor plating on the remaining tens of thousands of ships suddenly peeled open, and hundreds of thousands of high-speed assault fighters silently poured out, diving toward the energy shield generators below at maximum speed. Millions of missiles and aerial bombs rained down upon the shield generators, causing the shields near the projectors to violently shudder as large bursts of flame erupted.

Countless points of light shot out from the ground again. This time, they were anti-aircraft shells and various defensive missiles. A rain of light enveloped the void. Fighter after fighter, possessing virtually no defensive capability, exploded under the furious barrage from the surface. Large fragments of ruined metal trailed long black smoke as they fell, only to dissipate into wisps of vapor under the crushing power of the energy shields.

Tens of thousands of brilliant beams traversed the void, striking the last few tens of thousands of Level One warships as they retreated. This wave of the Star Alliance attack was once again neutralized by Heaven Star.

One standard hour later, another wave of hundreds of thousands of Star Alliance Level One warships surged toward Heaven Star. The fleet commanders, nearly frantic, shouted orders within their vessels to fire main cannons relentlessly—fire, fire, and fire again. Just behind these commanders, the Star Alliance oversight teams lay concealed in the darkness, cold and merciless. If any ship was judged to be underperforming, its commander would be executed on the spot. The oversight team would then slaughter every officer and crewman aboard, and the families of those slain would immediately be reduced to slavery.

This stringent oversight regulation forced every Star Alliance officer and soldier to operate at superhuman efficiency; the combat effectiveness and actual kill rate of every ship exceeded their design specifications by more than seventy percent. But facing Heaven Star’s bizarre, unprecedented defensive system—which drew energy from subterranean Spirit Veins to power its shields, a strange defense born from the confluence of arrays and high technology—the Star Alliance’s standard ships could not even approach within five light-seconds of Heaven Star.

This wave of Star Alliance Level One warships collapsed once more. Not a single vessel escaped.

A quarter of a standard minute later, hundreds of thousands of Level One warships attacked, supported by ten times that number of smaller vessels and dozens of massive carrier ships. This powerful assault force even included tens of thousands of warships belonging to those peculiar, highly intelligent alien species: silicon-based lifeforms, electronic cloud entities, and a host of other bizarre entities, piloting equally strange vessels. A whirlwind of metal and energy rushed toward the planet.

Heaven Star behaved like a black hole, silently allowing the ships to draw near.

At one hundred light-seconds: no reaction.

At ninety light-seconds: no reaction.

At eighty light-seconds: no reaction.

Upon reaching fifty light-seconds, countless white spots of light suddenly erupted across Heaven Star’s surface. Devastating anti-aircraft mega-cannons roared in unison, tearing nine-tenths of the invading fleet to shreds.

The firepower and sheer number of cannon emplacements in this volley were at least ten times greater than the previous salvo. Dozens of large carrier ships were ripped apart into fine metallic dust before they could even launch their stored fighters. The shockwaves from the exploding carriers pulverized the dense, lingering metallic debris in the upper atmosphere. Neither high-altitude telescopes nor ultra-long-range radar could discern what exactly had occurred in the heights; for a brief period, Heaven Star lost control of that region of the sky.

Millions of creatures, shaped like jellyfish, about ten meters long, their entire bodies glowing with a hazy, dreamlike, ethereal blue plasma cloud—the electronic cloud entities—dove rapidly from the heights. They transformed into piercing blue light, striking the ground, instantly merging with the energy shields above Heaven Star, and then, moments later, breaching those shields to penetrate the planet's airspace.

These electronic cloud beings were completely immune to conventional energy attacks; even the energy shields offered no resistance. But before these strange entities could unleash their formidable offensive power to shatter Heaven Star’s defenses, a black light shot up from the ground. Dozens of magical banners fluttered in the void. A greyish-white, hazy paper banner rubbed against itself, causing the countless talismans affixed to it to flash faintly. A crisp clang echoed faintly in the void. The millions of electronic cloud entities trapped by the banner-formations suddenly flickered with light, and streams of extremely fine blue energy shot out from their bodies, instantly vanishing into the white paper banner.

Yao Tianjun, whose features were grotesquely fierce, emerged from the void with a cackling laugh. He looked smugly at the soulless electronic cloud beings and praised the heavens: “Magnificent! Such innate demonic spirits—I never thought any remnant would survive to this day. It is fitting that this Daoist should refine such a powerful exotic treasure!” Rubbing his hands together gleefully, Yao Tianjun pulled a white jade gourd from his sleeve, raised it toward the electronic cloud beings, and a plume of white vapor rushed out of the gourd’s opening, instantly sweeping millions of the creatures into it.

“A lucrative assignment, truly lucrative!” Yao Tianjun laughed toward the sky in satisfaction. “The Honored Superior truly understands our desires!”

Meanwhile, millions of physically robust silicon-based lifeforms forcibly broke through the energy shields on Heaven Star’s surface. These terrifyingly grotesque lizard-like beings, about twenty meters tall, walked upright, spitting tiny jets of flame as they poured into Heaven Star, howling as they rushed toward the large bases of the Heaven Star Guard scattered across the surface. Their leader, an exceptionally massive silicon creature, roared with excitement, clearly envisioning the delightful scene of his kin wantonly slaughtering the weak soldiers of the Terran Federation.

A pinpoint of red light jetted upward from the ground, transforming into a three-headed white banner that brushed against the void. Instantly, limitless fierce flames surged in from all directions. Above the three-headed banner, a lotus flower composed of crimson Karmic Fire, several yards in diameter, pulsed, spraying threads of golden light and releasing despair-inducing heat and boundless, crushing pressure.

The millions of invading silicon beings were caught by the golden light, their bones instantly weakened and their muscles turned to jelly, causing them to collapse to the ground. Then, endless flames surged forward, instantly refining their bodies into untold billions of tiny, green, glassy beads, the size of mung beans, that scattered everywhere. These glazed beads were full of spiritual vitality; as they flew, they emitted a deep, muffled thunder, stirring up trails of wind and sand. Coiling green fire wrapped around the surface of the beads, leaving behind only a few delicate tendrils of emerald flame tracing paths in the void.

Bai Tianjun, who governed the Flame Array, emerged from a bank of fire clouds with a pleased chuckle. He gazed in pleasant surprise at the myriad green glazed beads dancing in the air and mused, “Heavenly Spirit Azure Sand! Ha! The rarely seen Heavenly Spirit Azure Sand—and there is so much of it here! This Daoist’s Flame Array’s power is set to increase several times over!”

He stroked his chin, pondering deeply for a moment, then quietly calculated, “We’ve only killed a few million, and already we have billions of these Heavenly Spirit Azure Sands. If I manage to kill every monster that attacks, how much of this sand could I collect? Hmm, it’s definitely worth a try.” A vicious glint flashed in Bai Tianjun’s eyes. He gave a few chuckles, turned, and tucked away the three-headed banner and the Karmic Fire Golden Lotus. He gracefully vanished into a wisp of fire cloud that was slowly dissipating.

Innumerable Heavenly Spirit Azure Sands disappeared along with him.

On the highest peak of Heaven Star, Miao Hua sat facing Daoist Little Zhang and Daoist Zhengyi. The three men watched the sky with deeply troubled expressions. Suddenly, Daoist Little Zhang burst out cursing, “Those ten shameless old oxen-noses and old nuns! They’ve taken all the good rewards! Ugh, it’s been over a year, and this Daoist hasn't even tasted a bit of blood. Was it worth rushing back to help in the battle?”

Daoist Zhengyi picked up a cup of clear tea and loudly slurped the liquid down. He said slowly, “No need to rush, no need to panic. There will be plenty of opportunities for us to act. This is just the warm-up. The main event is still coming—the real main event is yet to come!”

Patting his forehead lightly with his right hand, a shaft of yellow light shot up from Daoist Zhengyi’s head. The Wutu Apricot Yellow Banner swayed within that yellow light, and countless golden lotuses rose from the ground, securely enveloping the mountain peak.

Miao Hua let out a long laugh. A beam of black light shot up from above his head. The Xuanyuan Water Control Banner brought with it surging waves and countless white lotuses rising up. The two great banners responded to each other, stirring up boundless auspicious light and infinite spiritual mist. For a time, the surrounding space was filled with auspicious clouds and sacred energy, with points of treasure light dripping down from the sky like water from an eaves.

Daoist Little Zhang glanced with a mixture of envy and jealousy at the two Innate Supreme Treasures above his head, then drooped his head glumly. Although he had also inherited two of True Man Yinxi’s most precious treasures from Mount Zhongnan, compared to the two Innate Supreme Treasures hovering above, the grade was definitely lacking. He felt suddenly like a pauper, utterly stripped of face.

“Damn it,” he cursed, drawing a flying dagger and violently hacking at the stone beside him. Daoist Little Zhang pointed into the void and roared, “If you have the guts, send them down! This Daoist will wipe you out one by one!”

In the Blood Sea Secret Fortress, Gu Xiachen gently restrained Mohe, who was already lost in anticipation. He smiled and took two steps toward the seductive young girl. He said softly, “This young lady, have you taken a liking to my subordinate?”

The girl gave Gu Xiachen a cold glance, and then her eyes lit up again. She gave a dry, knowing laugh: “I didn’t expect that—you are handsome too! Hmm, they are your subordinates? Then you and the two of them… are mine! What race are you?”

Gu Xiachen smiled faintly. He glanced at the group of young men behind the girl, whose expressions were complicated, and at the eager young women, cursing inwardly. What kind of parents raised these people in the Elder Council? To have such brazen creatures capable of robbing male companions on the street! Still, my face is handsome, huh?

Hands clasped behind his back, Gu Xiachen looked at the girl and smiled, “May I ask, which family do you belong to?”

The girl’s eyes widened in surprise. She suddenly burst into a high-pitched giggle, laughing so hard she nearly tumbled off her mount.

Following closely behind the girl, a young man with an oily, powdered face—possessing a certain masculine charm but sporting a pale complexion and heavy-lidded eyes, clearly ravaged by excessive indulgence—hurriedly stepped forward and shouted arrogantly at Gu Xiachen, “Just blind yourself! You don’t even recognize Sister Deborah. What use are your eyes?”

The girl reached out and gently pulled the young man into her embrace. She scrutinized Gu Xiachen up and down, and the more she looked, the more she perceived a detached, ethereal quality about him. His aura held a strange magnetism, inexplicably making her desire intimacy with him. This inexplicable attraction surpassed even the pull exerted by the effeminate and beautiful brothers, Bonny and Mohe, on her. Taking a deep breath, Deborah said coolly, “Deborah Mo’teng Longgen, the most orthodox inheritor of the Mo’teng Longgen bloodline. You must have heard my name.”

Mo’teng Longgen!

The hearts of Gu Xiachen, Raskov, Bassin, and the others clenched simultaneously. Hadn’t the three giant dragons in that black hole claimed that name? If this Deborah was indeed a direct descendant inheriting the Mo’teng Longgen bloodline, her status was equivalent to a princess in the human empire. No wonder she was so arrogant and domineering.

For reasons unknown—perhaps due to inherent issues with her inherited body or her own underdeveloped cultivation—Mohe was currently consumed by lust, thinking only of women. He eagerly rushed forward, hastily grabbed Deborah’s delicate white hand, and kissed it deeply. While licking the back of Deborah’s pale, smooth hand with his tongue, Mohe boomed, “Ah ha! Princess Deborah, how could we not have heard of your fame? Your beauty is enough to illuminate the entire universe! Uh… when do we go to bed?”

Deborah summarily dismissed the young man who was now affectionately nuzzling her waist and coquettishly rubbing his head against her. With evident delight, she extended her hand toward Mohe.