It took a mere ten seconds for the colossal warship to obliterate the "Star City's" orbital space station.

"Damn it, they really are here to attack us." Seeing the orbital station instantly destroyed, resulting in the deaths of the over one thousand staff stationed there, Liu Hui was instantly filled with rage. The loss of more than a thousand personnel was already the single greatest casualty record in the history of the "Star City."

The leadership of "Star City" had often dreamed of contact with extraterrestrials, but in their fantasies, aliens were always benevolent and kind, arriving to aid the backward humans of Earth. However, when the aliens truly arrived and instantly vaporized the orbital station that had served "Star City" for over a decade, their beautiful illusions about alien contact vanished, replaced by boundless fury.

After using its main cannon to destroy the "Star City's" orbital station, the warship began rapidly firing smaller cannons mounted upon it, obliterating all the outdated, unshielded satellites launched by various nations and organizations on Earth. In less than a minute, no satellites remained in Earth's orbit except for those belonging to "Star City," which had already rendered themselves completely invisible.

Seeing the warship begin such wholesale slaughter and kill over a thousand of his employees, Liu Hui was enraged. He commanded, "I order the immediate activation of the 'Star City's' super laser cannons. Attack that warship at full power. I want these damned aliens to know that we on 'Star City' possess giant cannons too!"

No sooner had Liu Hui spoken than the weapon operators beside him executed rapid commands on the main control computer. A series of orders was relayed downward.

In the southeast, southwest, northwest, and northeast quadrants of "Star City," there stood four hundred-foot-tall small hills. Upon receiving the order, these hills began to vibrate violently, and the summits shifted open, revealing a massive, deep cavern where the original peaks had been.

Soon, an alloy cannon barrel, exceeding two hundred meters in length, extended from each of these deep caverns.

Four immense cannon barrels emerged from the four directions of "Star City," angling steeply toward the heavens. Energy reactions then began building at the muzzles of these barrels, with blue energy light flickering continuously. Once the energy charge in the barrels was complete, the entire hillside shuddered violently, and then four bursts of high-energy laser fire shot out from the four muzzles. In a mere flash, they struck the alien warship positioned in space.

The four high-energy lasers hit the exact same spot on the warship, but just as they connected, a transparent energy shield suddenly materialized around the vessel. The shield flickered rapidly, completely neutralizing the attack of the four laser beams.

Witnessing the ineffectiveness of "Star City's" super laser cannons against the warship, those in the command control center were greatly disheartened.

Anqi stated, "Liu Hui, the enemy warship has an energy projection shield as well. If we cannot instantly shatter it or completely deplete its energy reserves, that shield will remain permanently active, preventing us from attacking. Based on the current output of our super laser cannons, we cannot breach it in a single strike."

As Anqi was speaking to Liu Hui, the alien vessel in space detected the attack launched by "Star City." It rapidly swiveled its enormous main cannon, aiming directly at "Star City" on the ocean surface.

Liu Hui saw the warship's massive cannon lock onto "Star City" on the monitor, but he remained perfectly composed, his expression unchanged. He said calmly, "Everyone, take note. The enemy's main cannon is about to fire on us..."

As Liu Hui finished speaking, a beam of energy, even thicker than before, erupted from the warship's muzzle. This energy pillar descended from the sky, targeting "Star City" on the sea below.

"Star City" could not evade the energy beam attack. It was struck instantly, but the city's large-scale defensive formation was immediately activated. A transparent energy shield materialized two hundred meters above "Star City," flickering continuously and deflecting the incoming energy pillar.

Seeing their energy beam attack repelled, the alien warship immediately increased its power output. Yet, even after doubling the energy input, they still could not break through the energy shield of "Star City's" large-scale defensive formation.

The energy core of "Star City's" large-scale defensive formation was its super-large energy accumulation array. Because the energy drawn for each blast couldn't always be fully expended, the surplus energy was stored within this accumulation array. Over more than a decade, an immense quantity of energy had accumulated there. With this inexhaustible supply continuously feeding the system, "Star City's" large-scale defensive formation stood firm as a boulder. No matter how intense the energy beam attacks from the warship in space, they could not breach the shield's protection in the short term.

Aboard the warship, Sulfide stared, dumbfounded. He exclaimed, "There is such a colossal sea city on this planet, and they possess energy shield technology? Is this truly a civilization just beginning interstellar development? Furthermore, they just launched a high-energy laser attack on us. Judging by the energy intensity of that laser, it possesses the destructive power of a Level Five main cannon, yet our own main cannon is only Level Two..."

Sulfide's Chief Strategist commented, "My Lord, based on their external capabilities, the inhabitants of this star system appear to be a primitive civilization barely stepping beyond their planet. Therefore, by normal inference, they should not possess the technology to construct a Level Five main cannon or a protective shield. Yet, they have just demonstrated this level of cannon and shield technology. What does this imply?"

Sulfide frowned and asked, "What does it imply?"

The Strategist replied, "My Lord, there is only one possibility: these primitive natives have somehow acquired the scientific technology of the Lande Empire. That is the only way they could create things so far beyond their apparent capabilities. This confirms that descendants of the Lande Empire might indeed be stranded on this primitive planet. Our efforts have not been in vain. Once you conquer this star system, you can locate the descendants of the Lande Empire here. Finding the Lande Empire's astonishing treasure from them then will be a simple matter!" Swayed by the Strategist's flattering words, Sulfide immediately brightened.

Even though "Star City's" Level Five main cannon was formidable, it posed no threat to his warship. Attacks from a mere Level Five main cannon could never shatter the shielding of his Level Two warship. Thus, Sulfide's vessel faced minimal danger in this star system.

Conquering this system would be effortless. As long as they could locate the descendants of the Lande Empire and extract the whereabouts of the Lande Empire's vast wealth, destroying both planets and their eight billion slaves would be of no consequence. Sulfide knew exactly where his priorities lay between family recognition and the pursuit of treasure...

With this thought, Sulfide commanded, "In that case, continue the attack on this sea city until it is completely destroyed."

The warship's Level Two main cannon began firing relentlessly upon "Star City." Initially, "Star City's" super laser cannons kept counter-attacking, but upon realizing their assaults were useless against the warship, they promptly ceased firing, concentrating all energy reserves on the large-scale defensive formation.

Sulfide had anticipated that the sea city would be destroyed in minutes under their bombardment. To their surprise, even after half an hour of sustained attack, they could not penetrate the city's shield. Furthermore, judging by the shield's performance, its energy reserves appeared inexhaustible, making immediate breach impossible.

Sulfide's Strategist began frowning. He advised, "My Lord, while this strange sea city can attack us, it is fixed to the ocean surface and cannot move quickly; thus, it poses little direct threat. Perhaps we should temporarily leave it alone?"

Sulfide, frustrated by the inability to crack the shield, also began to waver. He agreed, "You are right; they pose little threat to us now. We can ignore them for the moment. Our main army must land on the planet and secure complete occupation. Finding the descendants of the Lande Empire is our most critical task."

The Strategist added, "My Lord, although their Level Five main cannon is no threat to our Level Two warship, it is a significant danger to our smaller escort vessels and troop transports. Why don't we temporarily bypass this quadrant and fly to the other side of the planet? From there, we can deploy the smaller ships to deploy our ground troops to occupy the planet. I doubt we won't be able to conquer anything beyond this one sea city?" Sulfide laughed, "Your consideration is always thorough. Execute as planned!"

Receiving Sulfide's command, the enormous warship began to change course, moving away from its current position and flying to the opposite side of Earth, entirely bypassing the Eastern Hemisphere where "Star City" was located. "Star City's" super laser cannons could no longer target the aliens.

The warship moved past the Eastern Hemisphere and positioned itself over the Western Hemisphere, matching Earth's rotational speed. Then, the warship's hatches opened, releasing ten smaller vessels, each twenty kilometers long, seven miles wide, and one kilometer high. These ships separated, each selecting a vector, and rapidly flew toward designated areas.

In space, the satellites utilizing the enhanced dynamic simulation array remained completely cloaked, undetected by the warship's scanning radar. They continued their surveillance, relaying every movement of the aliens in the other hemisphere back to "Star City."

"Liu Hui, the aliens have bypassed 'Star City' and are landing in the Western Hemisphere. What is our course of action?" Anqi inquired.

Liu Hui replied, "Based on the current situation, as long as we remain within 'Star City,' we are safe. The aliens cannot harm us here. We can only guarantee 'Star City's' safety; we cannot save everyone else. If we can hold out for a while, I have a way to repel the alien attack on Earth..."

Anqi's eyes lit up as she seemed to grasp his meaning. "Are you referring to that thing?"

Liu Hui nodded. "Precisely. As long as that thing is available, I am confident we can destroy this attacking warship. However, it is currently needed for another purpose and cannot be revealed yet..."

The 'thing' Anqi and Liu Hui referred to was the Six-Winged Battle Angel. Anqi, having personally calibrated the Six-Winged Battle Angel, was well aware of its terrifying power. Hearing Liu Hui's confirmed assurance that he could deploy it immediately reassured her. While "Star City" currently seemed outmatched, with the Battle Angel in play, "Star City" could ultimately secure victory.

What Anqi did not know was that the Six-Winged Angel was currently engaged in a life-or-death battle against the twelve divine emissaries of the Nature Goddess in the magic plane, rendering it incapable of appearing on Earth. Otherwise, Liu Hui would have summoned the Six-Winged Battle Angel long ago, preventing the warship from causing such widespread destruction on Earth.

The ten smaller vessels launched from Sulfide's warship flew over major cities in Earth's Western Hemisphere. They opened their smaller secondary cannons and began attacking the cities, easily wiping them out. More small craft then deployed from these escort ships, flying over even more cities to engage in wanton destruction. During this annihilation, countless humanoid mechs capable of flight were released from the small ships. These mechs descended into the cities to commence a great massacre of the remaining populace.

Although all global communications had ceased, "Star City's" spiritual fluctuation communication network remained operational, allowing the city's television and radio broadcasts to continue. Under "Star City's" deliberate transmission, the aliens' widespread slaughter of Earthlings was broadcast to every corner of the globe.

By this time, the entire world knew the aliens had not come with peaceful or friendly intentions; they had come to destroy Earth. Those who had initially held kind hopes of peaceful contact were thrown into panic upon discovering this cruel reality, fleeing in every direction. But across Earth, outside the Eastern Hemisphere, the alien warships and humanoid mechs were everywhere—there was no safe place. Soon, these scattered refugees fell victim to the aliens' ruthless slaughter.

The aliens and Earthlings belonged to different races with no cultural ties, so the aliens felt no psychological burden in massacring the humans. The sudden great slaughter stunned the people of Earth. Just as the remaining humans descended into despair, the aliens suddenly demanded universal surrender.

Following years of intense pressure from "Star City," all nations on Earth had lost their military capabilities and possessed no means to resist the alien massacre. Faced with despair, the sudden opportunity to surrender was seized, and these nations promptly announced their capitulation to the aliens in hopes of preserving their lives.

Soon, all Earth nations, except those in the Eastern Hemisphere near "Star City," surrendered to the aliens. Following these surrenders, the aliens issued two demands to the subjugated nations.

The first demand was to immediately gather all citizens and await further instructions. The second demand was for the aliens to begin investigating intelligence regarding the so-called descendants of the Lande Empire within those nations.

These nations had no intelligence regarding the Lande Empire; they hadn't even heard the name. However, wishing to save their lives, they ingeniously conceived of a scapegoat: Liu Hui and "Star City." They began attributing Liu Hui's powerful ascent to the technology of the Lande Empire, claiming that "Star City" had only reached its current powerful state after acquiring Lande technology.

Diverting the blame to "Star City" was not just a means of self-preservation but also an outlet for years of pent-up frustration caused by "Star City's" dominance. In their estimation, "Star City" was no match for these terrifying aliens. When the aliens destroyed "Star City" and killed Liu Hui, it would serve as indirect revenge for them. Truthfully, in their hearts, they somewhat believed that Liu Hui had indeed acquired Lande technology to fuel his rise; otherwise, the true story of his ascent was simply inexplicable.

After gaining control over the vast majority of Earth's nations, Sulfide quickly identified Liu Hui as a prime suspect connected to the Lande Empire descendants, causing him immense excitement as he believed the Lande Empire's treasure was within immediate reach. At this point, they knew the sea city capable of firing a Level Five main cannon and possessing shield technology had been constructed by Liu Hui. Sulfide naturally regarded Liu Hui as a descendant of the Lande Empire, or at least someone who must know the location of that astonishing Lande treasure.

Sulfide immediately adjusted their priorities. They temporarily suspended the transport of Earth slaves to the warship, redirecting all efforts toward dealing with "Star City" and Liu Hui.

Previously, the warship had launched several high-intensity energy attacks against "Star City" but quickly recognized the formidable nature of its shield; even sustained fire from their Level Two main cannon could not breach it.

Following the Strategist's suggestion, Sulfide decided to utilize the smaller vessels for a low-altitude surprise attack on "Star City" from the sea surface, hoping to evade the main cannon's targeting of the smaller ships. After all, while "Star City's" Level Five main cannon was ineffective against the shielding of the large warship in space, it could still inflict damage upon their smaller craft.

Sulfide and his command had already observed that "Star City's" Level Five main cannons were fixed within mountain caverns, making them impossible to dismantle or fire horizontally. Therefore, a low-altitude sea-level assault by their smaller vessels was considered very safe.

Once their smaller ships closed in on "Star City" at low altitude, their warriors piloting humanoid mechs would have numerous methods to destroy the protective shield. Once the shield vanished, dealing with "Star City" would become trivial. Then, they could land on the island, capture Liu Hui, and extract all secrets pertaining to the Lande Empire's treasure.

Sulfide acted immediately upon his decision. Under his orders, two smaller warships turned and began flying along the sea surface, one heading east and one heading west, toward the location of "Star City."

"Star City's" satellites immediately detected this alien maneuver.

Anqi asked, "Liu Hui, what should we do? Their smaller ships are approaching at sea level. Should we separate the super laser cannon bases from 'Star City' and fly into the sky to attack these vessels? Or should we immediately lift 'Star City' into the air to engage the incoming alien fleet?"

Liu Hui stroked his chin, a peculiar smile playing on his lips. He said, "There is no need to change anything on 'Star City' for now. Our shield's protection radius is limited; if we engage those smaller ships, our super laser cannons might fall outside the shield's perimeter, leaving us vulnerable to attack from the warship's main cannon in space. Let's wait a little longer; I have my own way to deal with them..."

Anqi was somewhat bewildered. She was familiar with every weapon on the "City of Starlight," and knew that the Seraphim could not appear yet. So, what method could Liu Hui possibly employ to deal with these small warships currently skimming the ocean surface toward the "City of Starlight?"

,～p,～,～,～,～,～,～,～～～,～,～,～,～Two small warships were speeding toward the "City of Starlight" from the east and west directions. The "City of Starlight" was only five hundred kilometers ahead of them. As long as they could close the distance to within ten kilometers of the "City of Starlight," they would have the means to destroy its protective shield.

The small warship approaching the "City of Starlight" from the east was skimming the sea at high speed, the sheer velocity causing a colossal white wake to churn in the water behind it. At that precise moment, the ocean directly ahead of the vessel began to boil furiously. Then, a massive dragon head erupted from the waves, followed by the emergence of a completely black dragon ascending into the sky. This black leviathan let out a piercing roar, opened its maw, and conjured a colossal, rhomboid ice spike that materialized out of thin air, spinning rapidly as it shot toward the small warship.

Caught entirely off guard, the small warship was struck instantly by the rhomboid ice spike. Immediately, however, an energy shield flared to life on the vessel. Protected by this barrier, the ice spike failed to penetrate the hull directly. Yet, the spike began to rotate with incredible speed, its energy focused so intensely at the tip that it managed to pierce a minuscule pinprick hole in the warship's energy shield before dissipating.

Just as that happened, the black dragon in the sky opened its mouth again. A second, even more massive rhomboid ice spike appeared, spinning as it flew directly through the tiny breach that had been created. The point of equilibrium for the shield's energy was destabilized through that small opening, causing the entire energy barrier protecting the small warship to shatter instantly, rendering it incapable of providing any further defense.

Consequently, the second massive ice spike unleashed by the black dragon slammed directly into the warship's hull, detonating in a violent explosion that carved a cavernous hole through the vessel's structure.

The suddenly manifested black dragon, stretching five hundred meters in length, had utilized the principle of concentrated energy across two successive ice spike attacks to annihilate the small warship's protective shield. Then, shaking its colossal head and tail, the dragon swiftly plunged into the gaping hole, entering the small warship to begin its unrestrained reign of destruction within.

Liu Ji’s progress had been proceeding too smoothly, leading to a degree of carelessness. He had focused solely on the "City of Starlight" directly ahead, neglecting surveillance beneath the ocean surface. As a result, he was ambushed by Little Black, which had been lying in wait beneath the waves. In just a single engagement, Little Black had crippled the small warship's shield and burrowed inside to begin the slaughter.

Several years prior, after Little Black had consumed an immense quantity of Water-elemental God-tier Magical Beast Cores, it had entered a completely new, unpredictable evolutionary phase. This evolutionary process was incredibly protracted, not finally concluding until the beginning of this very year.

The moment Little Black’s evolution was complete, Liu Hui was instantly aware of the change, as he retained absolute control over the creature. Perhaps due to the massive influx of Water-elemental God-tier Magical Beast Cores, these cores radiated prodigious amounts of Water element magic, strengthening Little Black’s massive frame and actually initiating its development toward the ranks of God-tier Magical Beasts. Under the continuous tempering of the internal Water element magic, Little Black’s actual combat prowess became exponentially more formidable than before.

Upon the completion of its evolution, although Little Black’s physical silhouette had not drastically altered, its individual strength had undergone a qualitative leap. Previously, Little Black could only swim through water or crawl across land; now, however, it possessed the capabilities of aerial flight and the execution of high-level Water element magic.

Liu Hui had conducted clandestine tests at night and discovered that Little Black could fly within Earth's atmosphere at speeds reaching Mach Ten. However, the creature was still unable to break free of Earth's gravity and ascend into space.

Now evolving toward the God-tier, Little Black harbored within its structure a monumental Water-elemental Magical Beast Core. When Liu Hui performed an internal scan of Little Black’s body, he immediately identified this core as a genuine God-tier Magical Beast Core. Yet, Little Black’s core was exceptionally enormous; its volume was a full three times that of other known God-tier Magical Beast Cores.

It was precisely this magnificent Water-elemental God-tier Magical Beast Core that endowed Little Black with its profound command over Water element magic. By integrating this power with its innate talents, Little Black had developed an even deeper comprehension and mastery of Ice magic—the advanced discipline of Water magic—making its ice-based attacks far superior to its other water-related offensive capabilities.

In its initial assault on the small warship, Little Black’s sequential ice spike attacks successfully shattered the vessel’s protective shield and allowed it to breach the interior, thus demonstrating its terrifying power as a nascent God-tier Magical Beast to the observing world.

,～,,～,～,～,～,～,～,～～,～,～,～