Chapter 434: Golden 【Mermaid Queen's Blessing】 (Two-in-One)

Chapter 434: Golden 【Mermaid Queen's Blessing】 (Two-in-One)



This time, Song Chi had been in the All-Attribute Training Chamber for over a month, and his luck was not too bad.

Five years ago, he had touched the bottleneck of Level 42 Guiding Art at the grand birthday banquet hosted by the Changsun Family's elder, and now, with the assistance of the Level 48 All-Attribute Training Chamber, he finally broke through, officially entering Level 42 in his Guiding Art.

Although it was a joyous occasion, Song Chi sighed more than he rejoiced.

A birthday banquet of such magnitude, celebrating the ten-million-year longevity of the Changsun Family's elder, was not something that happened every day. Even after consuming multiple dishes at this once-in-a-million-year banquet, it still took him several years to break through to the next level in his Guiding Art. It was no exaggeration to say that it was a thousand times more difficult than climbing a mountain.

Thinking of this, Song Chi couldn't bring himself to feel happy.

After all, this was just the beginning of the fourth rank in his Guiding Art. The thought of the fifth and sixth ranks made him dare not even imagine.

As he pondered, his gaze fell upon the storage capsule by his side, and soon, he took out a medicine that had turned a pale red color.

After hesitating for a moment, Song Chi decided not to use the medicine.

The medicine was called the Super-Rank Body Forging Medicine, an exquisite product made primarily from the Thousand-Year Star Grass, which had an excellent auxiliary effect on the Guiding Art. Even the elders said that it could provide significant assistance to the fifth rank Guiding Art.

This Super-Rank Body Forging Medicine was another reward given by the family after he handed over the "Complete Set of Mora Skyglide Mech Blueprints." There were three vials in total, and he hadn't used any of them yet.

There was no other way; even within the clan, the quantity of this rank of body-forging medicine was limited. The excess amount each year was extremely small, and they were usually prioritized for the clan's five fifth-rank elders. It was hard to come by.

Song Chi's idea was simple; he wanted to keep one vial for when he attempted to break through to the fifth rank in his Guiding Art and use the other two during the bottlenecks of the subsequent minor levels.

Unfortunately, whether it was the Deep Sea Pearl provided by Deguen of the Northern Sea Royal Court or the Firethorn Fruit from the Fire Elemental Life in the Fire Elemental World, their years were not sufficient, which was why his cultivation speed was so slow.

With a sigh, Song Chi shook his head, and at that moment, he heard the call of the Void Demon he had left outside.

"Are we finally setting off...?"

The Void Demon conveyed the instructions from the family command center. The fleet would officially depart in an hour, then rendezvous with several other fleets from the Duchy in the northern part of the Chaos Star Domain. After that, they would continue north, expecting to officially join the Eastern Fleet of the Yaohan Kingdom in two years.

Since they had already set up a direct teleportation stargate to the northern part of the Chaos Star Domain, the rendezvous with the other fleets of the Duchy was swift. However, continuing north into the former civilization domain of the Cataclysmic Star Clan would not be so easy.

Between the civilization domain of the Cataclysmic Star Clan and the Chaos Star Domain lay a starry void belt with a diameter of several million light-years. Without the establishment of a long-distance stargate, leading the Duchy's millions of fleets through this void belt using medium-distance stargates would be no small feat.

After all, more than seventy percent of the millions of fleets were ordinary starships, and they did not possess the ability to teleport independently.

...

Northern Chaos Star Domain, five years had passed, and this place was now completely under the control of the Eagle Clan.

The Mixed Sea Star Zone, located at the northernmost part of the northern frontier of the Chaos Star Domain, was designated by the Eagle Clan as the starting point for the Duchy's fleet to continue north, and the first batch of medium-distance stargates had already been set up in advance.

As the five major powers of the Duchy arrived one after another, they discussed the plan together, and then the dense fleet groups began to enter the medium-distance stargate base in batches to begin teleportation.

Chaos Star Domain Void Belt

As the void belt adjacent to the Chaos Star Domain, it was always named after the Chaos Star Domain.

As a void belt with a diameter of only several million light-years, the Chaos Star Domain Void Belt was considered a small void belt in the vast and broken starry sea.

Even so, it took the Duchy's expeditionary fleet nearly two years to cross this void belt.

Fleet Command's Magnetic Wave Communication Group Chat:

"Marco Dusk: If we could set up a long-distance teleportation stargate, it wouldn't be this troublesome, would it?"

"Slim Eagle: Long-distance stargates, only kingdom-level forces have the ability to set up stargates of this grade, not only because of the enormous cost but also due to some other hidden reasons..."

As the leader of the "Direct Line" faction within the Eagle Clan and the recognized spokesperson of the Eagle Clan by the other major powers of the Duchy, Slim Eagle's words carried weight.

As soon as he spoke, many battleship captains in the command communication group chat asked:

"Song Xingru: Hidden reasons? Can you be more specific?"

"Lu Chenguo: Is it a special... among the upper-level immortal clans?"

Before Lu Beili of the Golden Horn Lu Clan could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by his elder, Lu Beili.

"Lu Beili: Alright, since we've successfully crossed the void belt, the next step is to rendezvous with the Eastern Fleet of the Kingdom. Everyone, go and make the necessary arrangements!"

With the elder of the Lu Clan speaking, the group chat naturally dared not ask further questions.

[Sea Domineering Dragon Soarer] Invincible Ship's Family High Command Encrypted Group Chat:

"Song Xingru: Elder, what exactly are the secrets that Slim was referring to?"

Song Chi, who was also in the group chat, perked up his ears upon hearing this.

Although they didn't know the full story, the word "secret" hinted at something significant.

The group chat fell silent for a while, and just when everyone thought the Ancestor wouldn't respond, Song Wujiang's voice finally rang out.

"It's not exactly a secret, but more of a common rule agreed upon by the upper-echelon Immortal Clans."

"The maximum transmission distance of long-distance Stargates is ten million light-years, and ultra-long-distance Stargates can reach tens to hundreds of millions of light-years. Although the cost of constructing such Stargates is enormous, in this Star Sea era, these Stargates are the most sought-after. The interests involved are far beyond imagination. Eventually, through the efforts of various parties, the Immortal Clans established this default rule of building long-distance and ultra-long-distance Stargates."

After hearing this explanation, the group chat members finally understood.

Song Chi felt that this scenario seemed familiar:

"Isn't this the same as the capital monopoly in my previous life..."

However, he didn't show much resentment towards it. This was an inevitable development of society, even in the Star Sea era.

Pursuit of profit is human nature, and there's nothing to condemn. All they could do was focus on their own development and strive to integrate themselves into it in the future.

A utopian society?

That was too unrealistic.

...

A month later, a messenger battleship racing from the northwest met with the Morning Star Duchy fleet, and soon after, the entire duchy fleet's direction changed drastically.

Through the family communication group chat, Song Chi learned the details.

Recently, the Eastern Road fleet of the Kingdom had launched a new round of advancement, and the task assigned to the duchy fleet was to reinforce the northern Cataclysm Wind Star Domain battlefield.

Additionally, they shared specific information about the Cataclysm Wind Star Domain battlefield.

As a medium-sized star domain under the jurisdiction of the Cataclysmic Star Clan's territory, the Cataclysm Wind Star Domain spanned over ten thousand light-years in diameter. Within the star domain was a Level 6 Life Floating Land called Cataclysm Wind Floating Land, along with two Level 5 Resource Floating Lands and six Level 4 Floating Lands. It wasn't exceptionally rich, but it wasn't barren either.

The fleet in charge of advancing this star domain was led by the Stark Clan.

Having arrived at the Cataclysm Wind Star Domain several months late, the duchy fleet found that the Stark Clan had already cleared out the other star zones. Fortunately, the most valuable Cataclysm Wind Floating Land had not yet been conquered.

Outside the Floating Land Shield of the Cataclysm Wind Floating Land, the two astonishingly large fleets successfully merged.

When they saw the Stark Clan fleet blocked outside the Cataclysm Wind Floating Land, the high-level leaders of the duchy's seven major powers all breathed a sigh of relief. The other star zones could be occupied, but the Cataclysm Wind Floating Land was different. It was a Level 6 Life Floating Land, with a diameter of over 80 light-years.

One could say that if the overall value of the Cataclysm Wind Star Domain was 100 points, the Cataclysm Wind Floating Land accounted for more than 60 points, and this was not an exaggeration.

The key was that a Level 6 Floating Land could occasionally produce Seventh Rank Floating Land Essence. The value of Seventh Rank Floating Land Essence was self-evident; it was considered a strategic resource in the Shattered Star Sea.

However, what the five major powers of the duchy didn't know was that while they were relieved, the high-level leaders of the Stark Clan were just as relieved. Although the Cataclysm Wind Floating Land wasn't among the top-tier Level 6 Star Sea Floating Lands, it was slightly stronger than a newly-entered Level 6 Floating Land. Nevertheless, it was a Level 6 Floating Land, and the Level 6 Floating Land Shield outside the Floating Land had been a constant headache for the entire Stark Clan for over a month.

The Level 6 Floating Land Shield derived from an entire Level 6 Floating Land was far superior to other energy shields of the same rank. Without exaggeration, the strength of the Cataclysm Wind Floating Land's Floating Land Shield could withstand even Seventh Rank lifeforms for a period.

As a result, despite the Stark Clan's Ultimate Dreadnought actively unleashing its full power, along with the concentrated fire of millions of starships under its command, they had failed to tear a significant rift in the Floating Land Shield over the past month.

On the contrary, the two Level 6 Cataclysmic Star Clan members within the Cataclysm Wind Floating Land, relying on the Floating Land Shield and the support of the Floating Land Essence rules, had been continuously attacking and causing considerable casualties to the Stark Clan fleet for over a month.

The arrival of the Morning Star Duchy fleet clearly gave the high-level leaders of the Stark Clan hope, a chance to break through the outer Floating Land Shield of the Cataclysm Wind Floating Land.

...

After the two fleets merged, the high-level leaders from both sides immediately linked up for a secure communication to discuss the strategy for conquering the Cataclysm Wind Floating Land.

Due to his current status in the family, Song Chi was fortunate to be included in this encrypted group chat.

Of course, he could only participate as an observer, given his lack of experience.

"The strength of the Cataclysm Wind Floating Land's Floating Land Shield is no less than half a step into the Seventh Rank. Even if my ancestor gives it his all, with the assistance of a Silver-rank Shield Breaking Component, it's still impossible to tear a large gap in the Floating Land Shield. Additionally, the two Level 6 Cataclysmic Star Clan members inside are interfering, so..."

"The situation is roughly like this. Does anyone have any countermeasures?"

With these words from a Fifth Rank Limit Battleship Captain of the Stark Clan, the discussion officially began.

"Slim Eagle: You mean Elder Hardy?"

The direct descendant of the Eagle Clan, the captain of the battleship, was the first to speak, asking a question that the other four major houses of the kingdom were also very concerned about.

This time, the Stark Clan had two Invincible Ship captains participating in the Expansion War. Although both were ancestors of the Stark Clan, there was a fundamental difference between them.

The recently promoted Sixth Rank, Kareem Stark, had a ship that was not much different from the Sea Domineering Dragon Soaring Ship. It had barely entered the ranks of veteran Invincible Ships, falling far behind the White Phantom, which had been at the Ultimate Dreadnought level for thousands of years.

"Yes!"

After receiving a definite reply, the atmosphere in the group chat suddenly turned solemn. Even Elder Hardy Stark, an Ultimate Dreadnought captain, had failed to achieve anything, and they could already imagine the terror of the Floating Land Shield of the Cataclysm Wind Floating Land.

In that case, they must find a solution specifically targeting this aspect.

Nearly twenty minutes later, Angley Morning Star uploaded a screenshot of a special component in the group chat, finally setting the tone for the plan.

Ethereal Traveler lv60

Quality: Silver

Attribute: Ethereal Travel

Attribute 2: Increase the space resistance of the loaded warship by 5400

Attribute 3...

...

{Ethereal Travel: Consumes 300,000 Shadow Energy points. The warship temporarily enters an ethereal state, and in this state, it can ignore various physical and energy-based shields and protective layers, freely traveling through space. Duration???}

Some subsequent detailed information was not displayed by Angley Morning Star, but through the messages shown, everyone understood his intention.

The Morning Star Family's Invincible Ship captain was preparing to let his own ship, the White Night Morning Star, teleport into the Floating Land Shield first. Then, it would actively stall for time for the outside forces and disrupt the two Sixth Rank Cataclysmic Star Clan members inside.

To be honest, this was indeed a good solution, but the top brass of the various factions did not speak up immediately. Instead, they waited for the Morning Star Family's follow-up.

As expected, Angley Morning Star soon continued, "In that case, the danger that the White Night Morning Star will face should be clear to all of you. My request is simple. In the future, all houses must provide as many buffs as possible to enhance the White Night Morning Star. Moreover, when we conquer the Cataclysm Wind Floating Land and obtain Star Sea Artifacts, my Morning Star Family wants the priority pick!"

After hearing this, the leaders of the various factions did not show surprise but instead breathed a sigh of relief.

Given such a request, it was naturally acceptable.

However, each house added one condition.

They could only have the priority pick for one artifact.

Once the Morning Star Family agreed, the top brass of the five major houses of the kingdom simultaneously turned their gaze towards the Stark Clan.

Speaking of buffs, during the pre-war negotiations for resource distribution, Elder Hardy Stark had clearly stated that he would provide a golden auxiliary buff component. Now was the time to fulfill that promise.

The Stark Clan would not go back on their word, especially since they had already spoken of it.

After all, the cooperation between the two sides would continue for a long time, and the Stark Clan, were already collectively rejected in the Yaohan Kingdom. Therefore, they paid more attention to their relationship with the five major forces of the Morning Star Kingdom.

For example, in the current situation, if it weren't for the Morning Star Kingdom's joint fleet as an ally, the Stark Clan might have been stuck at the Cataclysm Wind Floating Land for much longer.

Thus, the value of allies was evident, especially during this once-in-a-million-year Expansion War. It was crucial to solidify alliances.

Soon, another screenshot of a special component's attributes appeared in the communication group.

Mermaid Queen's Blessing lv70

Quality: Golden

Attribute: Mermaid Blessing - Strength (Doubles the firepower of the loaded warship)



Attribute 2: Mermaid Blessing - Speed (Doubles the speed of the loaded warship)



Attribute 3: Mermaid Blessing - Defense (Doubles the defense of the loaded warship)



Attribute 4: Deep Sea Link

Attribute 5: ???

...

{Deep Sea Link: Consumes 500,000 Shadow Energy points. Links to 15 designated warships, which will also receive an additional 200% boost in firepower, speed, and defense for 24 hours. Cooldown time???}

Like the Morning Star Family, Elder Hardy Stark also did not reveal all the attributes of this golden component. Still, even the revealed portion left those in the group chat in awe.

This was an extremely high-quality universal buff component. At critical moments, it could allow a dozen warships to unleash unimaginable combat power.

However, at this moment, the first-generation Morning Star Duke, who had rarely spoken and whose face remained hidden, said, "The cooldown time is probably..."

Elder Hardy Stark seemed to anticipate this question. Before Rosetta Morning Star could finish, his aged voice rang out, "Rest assured, by the time we conquer the Cataclysmic Star Floating Land in the kingdom, the cooldown will be complete!"

Although they did not receive a specific cooldown time, everyone's minds were at ease after hearing these words.

Where was the greatest benefit of this grand Expansion War?

Undoubtedly, the Doom Star Floating Land was the only Level 7 Floatland in the Cataclysmic Star Clan's civilization territory.

As a Level 7 Floatland, the Doom Star Floating Land would undoubtedly become the center of contention for countless forces, and they were no exception. They were determined to take their chances there.

However, the combined forces of several families amounted to only seven Invincible Ships, giving them no numerical advantage. If they wanted to gain more benefits on the Doom Star Floating Land in the future, they could only rely on this Golden Enhancement Component. At this critical moment, it couldn't afford to let them down.

After confirming this, the next discussion naturally turned to the linkage selection for this component.

Aside from the Invincible Ships, there were nine more slots available. In the end, each of the five great houses of the kingdom received one, while the remaining four went to the Battleships of the Stark Clan.

The other families in the kingdom were somewhat reluctant about this arrangement, but they had no choice since the component was provided by the other party, and they had no say in the matter.

Once the negotiations were concluded, the families acted swiftly.

First, the White Night Morning Star underwent various enhancements, boosting its defense and firepower to an astonishing level.

Meanwhile, Song Chi, controlling the Heaven Ruin Skydome, hovered quietly behind the White Phantom along with dozens of Deer Hunt Ships and Battleships.

At this moment, the White Night Morning Star activated the Ethereal Traveler component, causing the entire Invincible Ship to transform into an illusory state, effortlessly passing through the formidable Level 6 Floating Land Shield.

Seizing the opportunity, the White Phantom Invincible Ship surged forward, charging towards the Floating Land Shield of the Doom Star Floating Land. Simultaneously, Hadi Stark's aged voice echoed in the ears of Song Chi and the dozens of others.

"Pay attention, everyone! The Shield Breaking Component is charging!"

Indeed, among the dozens of Deer Hunt Ships and Battleships, including the Heaven Ruin Skydome, were those equipped with special shield-breaking components.

Without hesitation, the Piercing Cone component was activated. Once the charging was complete, the Heaven Ruin Skydome burst out from behind the White Phantom and unleashed the piercing light towards the predetermined position.

Over a dozen ships acted in unison with the Heaven Ruin Skydome, and more than twenty others were just a step behind. The shield-breaking energy from these ships all targeted the same point on the Cataclysm Wind Floating Land's shield.

Despite the formidable power of the Cataclysm Wind Floating Land's shield, it was to no avail against the combined might of the dozens of shield-breaking components.

The concentrated shield-breaking energy weakened the shield's power significantly at the targeted location. However, the Floating Land Core Will of the Cataclysm Wind Floating Land reacted swiftly, sensing the attack on the shield and mobilizing the entire Floating Land's Origin Law and rules for rapid repair.

Given the speed of the repairs, if left unchecked, the weakened point created by Song Chi's group would likely be fully restored in no time. However, at this moment, the White Phantom, which had been quietly waiting on the side, finally took action.

The mecha giant, which had already transformed into its mecha form, effortlessly sliced through the small, weakened section of the Floating Land Shield with its golden axe.

But it didn't end there. After cutting through the shield, the golden axe was swiftly retracted, and the mecha giant braced its arms against the relatively narrow rift, exerting all its strength to widen the gap.

However, compared to a Level 5 Floatland, the power of a Level 6 Floatland's shield was significantly stronger. Even with an Ultimate Dreadnought's full effort, the expansion of the rift remained painfully slow.

Meanwhile, within the Cataclysm Wind Floating Land, countless profound laws of the origin will rapidly gathered around the rift, eroding the arms of the mecha giant that the White Phantom had transformed into.

Fortunately, Hadi Stark's understanding of the Law of Gold had already surpassed 90%, making him unafraid of the erosion of the origin will's laws in the short term.

Inside the Floating Land, the two Sixth Rank Cataclysmic Star Clan members sensed the anger of the origin will and their auras gradually grew violent, striving to stop the White Phantom's subsequent actions. However, they were firmly blocked by the White Night Morning Star.

Understanding the grim situation, the Golden Light Crisscross also transformed into a mecha giant form. As it approached the shield rift, it extended its arms to assist the White Phantom in widening the gap.

With the addition of the Golden Light Crisscross, the expansion of the rift accelerated significantly, quickly growing from a few hundred meters to a kilometer in diameter, and it continued to increase.

As time passed and the rift's diameter exceeded several kilometers, the first group of Battleships voluntarily entered the Cataclysm Wind Floating Land to assist the White Night Morning Star in dealing with the two Sixth Rank Cataclysmic Star Clan members.

Facing two peak Sixth Rank Cataclysmic Star Clan members, the White Night Morning Star was already at a disadvantage, and the suppression from the Floating Land's origin rules further hindered its efforts. Without immediate reinforcements, the other families feared it might not hold out.

Fortunately, with the active support of the nine subsequent Battleships, the White Night Morning Star managed to endure.

These nine Battleships were the ones previously chosen for the Deep Sea Link. By successfully assisting the White Night Morning Star in holding off the two Sixth Rank Cataclysmic Star Clan members, they would subsequently gain the second-highest priority in choosing after the Invincible Ship Captains.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end