Chapter 535: Breaching Defenses

Chapter 535: Breaching Defenses

"Turtlewang!"

At this moment, billions of people worldwide were witnessing the live broadcast, and upon hearing Ji Xinghuo's mocking words, an uproar ensued.

Many found it unbelievable, thinking they had misheard.

The Sun King had dominated Earth for a century and a half, and this title had etched an invincible image in the minds of generations, casting an indelible shadow and rewriting Earth's history. It held immense symbolic significance.

Even though this was the third-generation Sun King, who had not yet established awe-inspiring feats, someone had dared to insult him to his face?

And to add insult to injury, he was being asked to change his name to Turtlewang?

"Blasphemy!"

"This is unforgivable blasphemy!"

In the American Federation, countless individuals cursed at Ji Xinghuo in front of their screens, angrily shouting, "Sun King, kill this Asian! Kill him!"

However, the Sun King himself did not react as intensely.

His face turned cold, as if he disregarded Ji Xinghuo's mockery, and he replied indifferently, "Such titles are meaningless. No matter how you try to goad me, it's futile. A battle between us is inevitable, but not today."

Ji Xinghuo was somewhat surprised.

Based on his understanding of Anthony John, the latter should have flown into a rage and attacked by now, yet his opponent had genuinely remained calm.

"Why not today?" Ji Xinghuo provoked further, "What are you afraid of?"

The Sun King's lips curled upwards, "If you are so eager to battle me, I'll be waiting for you in St. Louis."

Of course, Ji Xinghuo wouldn't go.

Firstly, it went against the Chancellor's plan. If they were to strike down the Sun King ahead of schedule, it could only be done outside the American Federation. Secondly, the defensive capabilities of the American Federation's homeland were extremely formidable and could potentially threaten his life.

"You still dare not face me directly."

Ji Xinghuo knew that goading wasn't working, so he deliberately said through the live broadcast, "If you think that by inviting powerful aliens from the Star Realm to assassinate the Chancellor or other key figures, you can defeat the Asia-Pacific Community, then you are being naive."

The Sun King remained expressionless, giving no response.

Ji Xinghuo raised his finger and pointed at him, "No matter what schemes you have or what underhanded methods you're preparing, you can't stop the historical trend."

"You think stalling is to your advantage."

"Unfortunately, time is on my side. The longer you drag this out, the wider the gap between our strengths will become. It would be better to fight me now, as you might still have a slim chance of victory. Are you daring enough to try?"

Each sentence hammered at the Sun King's mental state while also slapping the people of the American Federation in the face, pushing the Sun King into a dead end.

Countless people worldwide awaited the Sun King's response.

Silence.

The live broadcast fell into an uneasy silence, without a sound. The Sun King stared at Ji Xinghuo for a full half minute, hesitating several times as if struggling with his response.

Anyone could see the intensity of the Sun King's inner turmoil.

Finally, he replied.

"You'll be receiving my challenge soon."

In the end, the Sun King chose to stall, leaving behind those words as his body soared into the air and sped off northward, as if he couldn't wait to get away.

"Coward!"

Ji Xinghuo shouted, his voice shaking the clouds and reverberating throughout Asuncion, reaching the ears of the global audience through the live broadcast.

Before his voice had faded, he gave chase.

Two figures sped through the high skies above Asuncion, one in front and the other in pursuit. Ji Xinghuo's speed was evidently faster, quickly closing the distance between them. He unleashed an electric beam from his eyes, scanning the fake Sun King ahead of him.

"Turtlewang, where are you running off to?" Ji Xinghuo shouted as he attacked.

Boom!

The blue laser-like electric beam swept across the sky, and the fake Sun King dodged and changed directions continuously, but he was still hit.

The fake Sun King fell like a kite with a broken string.

A hole had been blasted in his back.

The sky suddenly darkened.

Gigantic bolts of lightning struck the fake Sun King, mangling his body beyond recognition. His battle attire was in tatters, and his body was paralyzed before Ji Xinghuo accelerated to catch up, finishing him off with an electric spiral punch.

Bang!

The fake Sun King was punched into a cloud of blood by Ji Xinghuo, leaving behind only a tattered cloak drifting downward.

This cloak still bore the emblem of the American Federation.

In the blink of an eye, the fake Sun King was defeated before the eyes of billions of viewers worldwide.

Everyone was stunned.

Not everyone knew that this Sun King was a fake, possessing only half the strength of the original, and he had already been weakened from his prolonged battle with Ji Xinghuo's afterimage. In contrast, Ji Xinghuo himself had arrived in his true body.

After returning to the People's Palace to confirm the Chancellor's safety, Ji Xinghuo immediately used his spatial ability to teleport to Asuncion.

Ji Xinghuo had anticipated this move and naturally wouldn't let him get away with it. In front of the global audience, he squeezed the soft persimmon hard.

"Too weak," Ji Xinghuo remarked, hovering in the sky and deliberately pausing for a few seconds to allow the cameras to capture the moment clearly. He was also surprised.

This fake Sun King was probably not an alien.

Most likely, he was created by a Heaven-level treasure, but Ji Xinghuo couldn't guess what kind of treasure it was, how close the fake body's strength was to the original, or how many there could be at most...

"Could he have completed the ultimate Stellar Child occupation?"

"Or does he possess a Heaven-level treasure of three stars or more?"

"Or... can he call for stronger support from the Star Realm?"

Several speculations flashed through Ji Xinghuo's mind, and he suddenly paused, "Could the Sun King be trying to become a Star Saint?"

His gaze swept across Asuncion, and countless cameras below were aimed at him, capturing everything that had just transpired.

"That's enough posing," Ji Xinghuo muttered. His figure transformed into electric light, and he returned to the stargate, traveling back from the Star Realm to New Bharat.

With a shift, he appeared in the People's Palace.

Chancellor Ji Daosheng's speech was nearing its end, and while Ji Xinghuo remained vigilant, he continued pondering the previous speculations.

The Sun King was at the third level of the sixth stage, approaching the peak. For many years, he had been collecting alien fusions in an attempt to advance to the "Stellar Child."

According to the Chancellor's speculation, he was close to completing it.

The ultimate occupation required too many aliens. Even for aliens with the top-tier innate talents in the Star Realm, it was almost impossible to achieve this advancement below the seventh stage. For example, the Dark Lord of the Dark Star Spirit he had encountered earlier was incomplete.

Even if he truly advanced to the Stellar Child, it would only greatly increase his strength and aid him in his quest to become a Star Saint, but it wouldn't be decisive.

Becoming a Star Saint wasn't that easy.

"25 years," Ji Xinghuo thought. Previously, the Chancellor had estimated that for the Sun King to attempt to become a Star Saint, it would take at least 25 years. Now, there were still about 22 years left. In the worst-case scenario, if the time was halved, it would still take more than a decade.

"Nothing is absolute."

"One year!"

Ji Xinghuo secretly made a decision, "I'll wait for at most one more year. If the Chancellor's unification steps do not go smoothly, then I will strike the Sun King with lightning speed, invade St. Louis, and by no means let him delay any further."

Additionally, he also needed to prepare for the possibility of encountering an enemy at the Star Saint level.

Only a Star Saint could confront another Star Saint.

Two candidates came to Ji Xinghuo's mind: Xu Lingke and Yun Huo Xiao. He could trust these two, but it would be challenging to get them involved. Alternatively, he could ask Titanium Cobalt Blue to intervene and request a seventh-stage powerhouse from the Titanium Cobalt family.

Suddenly, he thought of the Titanium Cobalt Dragon King.

"If I could get the King to help..." Ji Xinghuo's heart stirred, but he immediately dismissed the unrealistic thought.

The price to get the Titanium Cobalt Dragon King involved was too high for him to bear.

Moreover, it would create too much noise.

If a powerhouse second only to the Dragon Emperor himself were to intervene on behalf of a backward planet that was merely a vassal state of the Empire, the problem might be solved, but it could also attract the greed of even more formidable beings, leading to unpredictable consequences.

As Ji Xinghuo's thoughts wandered, Ji Daosheng's speech came to an end.

Everyone stood up, and thunderous applause filled the air.

Next, as a witness, the Chancellor joined the leaders of the seven South Asian countries in signing the "South Asian Declaration," announcing that from this moment on, the South Asian subcontinent and its people officially became members of the Asia-Pacific People's United Community.

The signing ceremony concluded flawlessly, marking a significant event in history. However, it did not make the headlines of global media outlets.

The South Asian Declaration was only ranked second.

The top trending news was a photo of Ji Xinghuo punching and exploding the Sun King, accompanied by numerous eye-catching headlines.

Countless comments with similar content were also being published.

The government spokesperson of the American Federation held a press conference at the first opportunity, telling reporters that the Sun King they had seen was just a clone and that the real Sun King was safe and sound. The Sun King even made an appearance at the press conference but did not answer any questions.

Even the most stubborn citizens of the American Federation began to waver in their belief in the Sun King.

This was just the beginning of a series of chain reactions.

The American Federation's stock market took a tumble.

Doubtful voices arose within the Western Alliance, and rebel organizations in Africa and South America released statements supporting the Asia-Pacific Community and siding with them, strongly condemning the Sun King for the terrorist attack in Asuncion...

For a time, the Sun King and the American Federation seemed to have become the target of public outrage.

On the special flight back to Chang'an...

Ji Daosheng was in high spirits as he said to Ji Xinghuo, "Xinghuo, your move to destroy the Sun King's clone has greatly boosted morale. That one photo is worth more than five alien legions. I bet the Sun King won't be getting a good night's sleep tonight."

Accompanying him on the flight was one of Ji Xinghuo's shadow clones.

"Your Excellency," Ji Xinghuo said, "Speaking of the Sun King, I think it's necessary to bring something to your attention."

"Go on, I'm listening."

Ji Xinghuo shared his speculations about the Sun King and the information about the Dark Star Spirit with Ji Daosheng.

He also mentioned his decision to set a one-year deadline.

"One year..." Ji Daosheng furrowed his brows in thought, then said solemnly, "You are right. We can't afford to drag this out too long. I support your decision. If things do not progress favorably within a year, then you have my permission to take action."

Ji Xinghuo's shadow clone nodded silently.

His main body, meanwhile, once again passed through the Asuncion Stargate and switched places with another shadow clone, after which he flew north.

His destination was North America.

The distance from Asuncion to St. Louis was over 8,000 kilometers. Ji Xinghuo activated his invisibility and initiated a Star Realm Leap.

When leaping outside the Star Realm, the distance covered was only a fraction of that within the Star Realm.

Ji Xinghuo's leap took him 1,000 kilometers upward, directly into the outer atmosphere, where the air pressure dropped significantly, and at that height, the air was so thin that it was almost non-existent. From there, the Earth appeared as a circular silhouette.

Silence enveloped him.

The blue planet before him displayed its splendor and grandeur, with mountains and rivers stretching across the land and vibrant life flourishing. The oceans resembled a vast sapphire.

Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but pause to admire the view.

Then, he leaped again.

After three leaps, Ji Xinghuo arrived at the southern edge of North America. He still had some distance left on his Star Realm Leap, but he decided not to use it anymore and maintained his invisibility to avoid being detected by orbital satellites or space stations.

Ji Xinghuo's gaze traveled thousands of kilometers, toward the east of the geographical center of North America, where a super metropolis loomed.

St. Louis!

He quickly locked onto the "New Empire Building," the Sun King's residence.

With the Macrocosmic Eye covering this region, his microscopic perception activated, and everything within the building, from its space, walls, and layout, became transparent to him, as if he were seeing through flames.

"Sun King."

Ji Xinghuo easily located Anthony John, who was alone in the top floor of the building.

The hall was in disarray, as if a tornado had swept through it.

Outside, officials, assistants, and beautiful secretaries were silent, the tense atmosphere permeating every floor of the building. Everyone was cautious, afraid to utter a word, their faces bearing fear and confusion.

The Sun King stood before a large floor-to-ceiling window.

His hands were clasped behind his back, his face devoid of expression as he gazed at the distant Presidential Palace, the pinnacle of power in the American Federation.

For a long time, the Sun King remained silent, and no one dared to disturb him.

Ji Xinghuo watched quietly.

Through the hushed conversations of others in the New Empire Building, he learned what had just transpired—the Sun King had flown into a rage and nearly killed one of his most trusted assistants, who had been sent to the hospital.

The reason for the Sun King's anger was obvious.

Ji Xinghuo let out a cold laugh.

It seemed that the words he had spoken to the Sun King in Asuncion had indeed taken effect, though the Sun King had managed to suppress his reaction at the time.

If not for the press conference held by the American Federation's government and the subsequent online backlash, the Sun King might have maintained his composure. But seeing his image of being punched and exploded all over the global network, along with countless comments, mockery, ridicule, and even belittling remarks questioning the legitimacy and strength of the third-generation Sun King, had finally pushed Anthony John over the edge, leading to his outburst and the collateral damage it caused.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end