Chapter 702: Spiritual Ground

Chapter 702: Spiritual Ground

The transaction was completed, though the subsequent drop of an eighth-rank Abyssal Hydra Blood Essence made it less than a perfect win-win situation. However, both parties undeniably benefited from the deal.

Thus, the Komoyin Serpent Warlock Clan maintained a very positive attitude. Even before the All-Heavens Market concluded, they sent a sixth-rank warlock to thoroughly document everything within the market.

Although the Komoyin Serpent Warlock Clan's True Spirit Warlock couldn't enter personally due to time constraints, Song Chi was not worried at all.

With Brook Benjamin as a precedent, and the sixth-rank warlock having witnessed several seventh-rank beings like the New Moon Matriarch and the Seventh-Rank Divine Domain Continent Overlord during their visit, Song Chi was confident that the Komoyin Serpent Warlock Clan's seventh-rank True Spirit Warlocks would not be able to resist the allure of the All-Heavens Market for long. They would eventually enter the market themselves.

When that happens, the scale of the All-Heavens Market's transactions would reach a new level.

Due to the Komoyin Serpent Warlock Clan's caution, the seventh-rank Nightmare Body was never allowed to leave the reception hall during the previous transaction. As a result, Song Chi did not gain much insight into the Komoyin Serpent Warlock Clan.

However, with the Ninth-Rank power of the All-Heavens Market enhancing his mental faculties, Song Chi was able to perceive the terror of the Fang Floating Continent through brainwave imprints. It was a super-life Floating Continent on par with the Demon Snake Floating Continent.

This alone revealed a glimpse of the Komoyin Serpent Warlock Clan's formidable foundation.

Additionally, the three colored Mythical Oddities they easily provided further confirmed this.

...

In the All-Heavens Market's free-stall area, as soon as the All-Heavens Market transactions concluded, Song Chi seized the opportunity to immediately recall the Skygale of Tianxu.

He then proactively replaced the Yin-Yang Convergence Annihilation Shield with the Mythic Pulse Energy Shield. With the Fate Compass Disk, the Yin-Yang Convergence Annihilation Shield was uninstalled without damage. Coupled with the resources he had gathered during the fleet's recent advancements, Song Chi successfully upgraded both the Mythic Pulse Energy Shield and the Dragon Blood Demon Lock Chain to level 90.

As for the Devouring Destroyer Ship Blade, due to insufficient resources, it was only upgraded to level 80.

After the upgrades, the Skygale of Tianxu's attributes saw a significant boost, especially with the Mythic Pulse Energy Shield, which far surpassed the previous Yin-Yang Convergence Annihilation Shield.

Mythic Pulse Energy Shield (Level 90)

Quality: Colored / Lower Tier

Trait 1: Energy Shield Defense Value increased by 470%

Trait 2: Energy Shield HP increased by 470%

Trait 3: True Defense

Trait 4: Hyper-Frequency Pulse Waves continuously surround the energy shield, reducing external damage by 75% when attacked

Trait 5: Hyper-Frequency Pulse Waves continuously replenish the energy shield, restoring 9% of the maximum shield HP per second after damage

...

Defense Value: 9.9 trillion

Shield HP: 3.3 billion / 3.3 billion

...

{Mythic Pulse Wave: Consumes 3,000,000 Spiritual Energy points to gather a large amount of Mythic Pulse Energy and immediately release a pulse wave in a specified direction. Units hit by the pulse wave will experience a temporary energy disorder, preventing them from actively using their energy for attacks for 14 seconds. All ongoing or completed energy-based attacks will also be forcibly interrupted. Cooldown: 48 hours.}

This ninth-rank Mythic quality energy shield not only reduces all incoming damage by 75% but also restores 9% of the damaged shield HP per second.

Most astonishingly, the defense value reached an astounding 9.9 trillion. For comparison, a ninth-rank black star cannon, even with its "True Damage" trait, has a base damage of just over 10 trillion. Given the "True Defense" trait of the Mythic Pulse Energy Shield, the actual damage a ninth-rank black star cannon can inflict is quite limited.

Only when the active attack trait is activated can it cause significant destruction.

Song Chi carefully calculated the power of the Limitless Immortal Quantum Star Annihilator on the Skygale of Tianxu. When all powerful attack bonuses, such as the "Limitless Immortal Quantum Sword Light", and the "Mark of the God of Hunting's Weakness" from the Blood Spear were activated, the maximum power of the strongest attack would be around 1.38 quadrillion.

Even without considering the damage reduction from the Mythic Pulse Energy Shield and other defensive features, this attack could only erode about 42% of the shield's value. With these defenses, the damage would be significantly reduced. In essence, the Skygale of Tianxu was now encased in a thick, impenetrable shell. Amongst beings of the same rank, unless they wielded a mythic-grade weapon, they would find it extremely difficult to pose any real threat to the Skygale of Tianxu.

The most crucial feature was the "Mythic Barrier." With this trait, the energy shield derived from mythic pulse energy would protect against all types of attacks, eliminating the need to worry about direct physical assaults on the hull, or special sound waves and soul attacks.

"This is the power of a mythic component. Just one mythic component has instantly elevated the already extremely luxurious Skygale of Tianxu to a whole new level of combat capability."

As Song Chi was marveling at this, one of his enslaved creatures in the outside world suddenly sent a notification.

The Advance Fleet had arrived at a new galaxy, and the action tasks had been distributed. As the most powerful family in the Advance Fleet, the Song Family had been assigned the task of capturing the capital Floating Continent of this galaxy.

When Song Chi returned to the outside world, he quickly received the details.

It turned out that while the new galaxy was not a large one, its capital Floating Continent was quite formidable, having reached the peak of the seventh rank. The Floating Continent’s external shield was nearly at the eighth rank, making it extremely difficult for an Eighth-Rank Asura Emperor to break through it in a short time.

Therefore, the Song Family had summoned Song Chi, hoping to use the highly powerful Skygale of Tianxu, along with Dinghai Longxiang and the Asura Emperor, to quickly breach the Floating Continent shield.

Faced with this situation, Song Chi readily agreed.

Outside the massive Floating Continent, the five Azure Dragon Fleets were spread out, with an Azure Dragon Phantom forming above each fleet, repeatedly striking the energy shield in front of them.

In addition to the Azure Dragon Phantom, the hundreds of thousands of Song Family Flame-Ember Starships in the five Azure Dragon Fleets continuously fired their cannons, bombarding the oval-shaped shield in front of them.

On another part of the Floating Continent shield, two star destroyers and an Eighth-Rank Asura Emperor were also unleashing their full power.

Void Piercer · "Void Light"!

Blood Spear · "Blood Judgment"!

Purple Dawn Divine Thunder Cannon · "Ten Thousand Symbols Purple Dawn Thunder Prison"!

Limitless Immortal Quantum Star Annihilator · "Transcendent Sword Formation · Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Source"!

Flame God Annihilation Cannon · "Annihilation Star Shattering Strike"!

Asura Time Blade!

...

Bloody spears, myriad illusory giant swords, black annihilation beams, and colossal temporal blade shadows...

These attacks, each capable of making even ordinary Seventh-Rank Sovereigns retreat, continuously bombarded the Floating Continent shield below.

For a Floating Continent with a diameter of nearly 20,000 light-years, such attacks might be considered ordinary. However, the two star destroyers and the Asura Emperor were relentlessly targeting a specific spot on the Floating Continent shield.

Initially, this might have been manageable, but as the attacks continued, even the super-shield, which was nearly at the ninth rank, began to show small, web-like cracks in the targeted area.

This change seemed to catch the attention of some Eight-Armed Serpent Demons within the Floating Continent. Through the shield, multiple figures could be seen emerging from hidden locations on the Floating Continent’s surface, their Sovereign powers surging as they roared and flew upwards toward the sky.

The Floating Continent's shield itself had a strong visual obstruction effect, and the internal fog further obscured the view. It should have been difficult for any external beings to capture much information. However, Song Chi was different. The substantial Double Pupil in his eyes reflected clearly, and with the enhancement of his 7th Grade Dark Energy, combined with Chong Yu's Ascension to the 7th Rank, Song Chi managed to capture several crucial details.

"Six 7th Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demons, and one 8th Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demon. This Floating Continent actually has an 8th Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demon guarding it!"

Detecting the 8th Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demon hidden in the fog, Song Chi did not panic in the slightest; instead, he became even calmer.

"Thinking of making a move now? Too late!"

With a sudden thought, the Limitless Immortal Quantum Star Annihilator was reactivated. This time, however, it wasn't the "Sword Formation of Immortal Trapping · Myriad Swords Returning to the Source", but the current Skygale of Tianxu's strongest single-target attack, the "Limitless Immortal Quantum Sword Light."

Of course, the Black Hole Evolution Layer's "Black Hole" was also activated.

Whoosh!

A terrifying sonic boom followed, and the colossal quantum sword light roared out. Before the 8th Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demon below could reach the Floating Continent, the quantum sword light struck the center of the shield's spider-web cracks.

Crack!

A crisp sound of shattering echoed through the starry sky, followed by the complete fragmentation of the Floating Continent's shield.

Hiss!

Seeing this, the 8th Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demon, whose eyes had turned blood red, let out a long, piercing howl.

Song Chi paid no heed to this. Under his command, the Asura Emperor was the first to rush into the Floating Continent, quickly colliding with the frenzied 8th Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demon.

As for Song Chi and Song Mingsong, they controlled the warship and the five Azure Dragons of their clan, heading towards the 7th Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demons.

The Skygale of Tianxu's combat strength was already astonishing, and with the assistance of several 7th Rank enslaved creatures, the Song Family team quickly annihilated all the Eight-Armed Serpent Demons.

Of course, the final kills were all given to Song Shiyuan's Immovable Vidyaraja.

Although the Immovable Vidyaraja's foundation was not as strong as that of the Skygale of Tianxu and Liyane Zhouhai, it had been Ascended for over a thousand years. Combined with the intense accumulation during the Civilization War, it was now preparing to challenge the Star Annihilation level.

The Blood Chalice, which had been uninstalled from the Liyane Zhouhai, had been transferred to the Immovable Vidyaraja. Therefore, whenever possible, the family would try to give the kills of high-rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demons to Song Shiyuan.

After dealing with the 7th Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demons, the Skygale of Tianxu and Dinghai Longxiang quickly joined the distant 8th Rank battlefield.

Dragon Blood Demon Lock Chain · "Dragon Blood Sealing Demon"!

Upon activation of this newly acquired black component, ten black chains, now strengthened to the 9th Rank, shot out from the void. They precisely locked onto the 8th Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demon in the battle between the Asura Emperor and the 8th Rank snake demon, binding it tightly with the blood-stained chains.

"Now!"

At Song Chi's command, the Skygale of Tianxu, Dinghai Longxiang, and the 8th Rank Asura Emperor simultaneously unleashed their fully charged abilities.

Amidst the violent energy explosion and the faint wails of the 8th Rank snake demon, the energy storm dissipated, revealing that the 8th Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demon, bolstered by the Floating Continent's intrinsic will, was still standing strong.

However, this was clearly within the expectations of Song Chi and his companions. A communication sub-component in the Immovable Vidyaraja sounded off at the right moment.

"Ancestor, move now!"

Hearing this, Song Shiyuan quickly responded.

Star Annihilation Fury, activate!

The golden special component was activated, and in the next second, a ship cannon on the Immovable Vidyaraja transformed into a Star Annihilation cannon. A scorching Star Annihilation beam shot out.

The 8th Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demon, already at the end of its strength, could no longer hold on under the Star Annihilation beam. Its life force was completely extinguished, and a thread of 8th Rank Origin Holy Blood appeared in the Blood Chalice on the Immovable Vidyaraja.

...

“Xiao Chi, let’s go down and take a look first!”

Following the signal from their ancestor Song Wujian, the two starships swiftly descended toward the surface of the Floating Continent. The family’s fleet of hundreds of thousands of ships, however, was forbidden from landing and was instructed to remain suspended in the upper atmosphere.

The reason for this order was the sudden appearance of several Seventh-Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demons, including one Eighth-Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demon.

Before the Song Family decided to attack this peak Seventh-Rank Floating Continent, all the radar scans from their family members indicated that there were only five Seventh-Rank Serpent Demons on the Floating Continent.

Because of this, the Song Family had no reservations about choosing this Floating Continent as their mission target. The unexpected appearance of the Eighth-Rank Serpent Demon Overlord and a few Seventh-Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demons were not part of their pre-battle plans.

Clearly, there was something on this Floating Continent that they had yet to understand, which was why the higher-ups prohibited the family members from acting on their own.

Dinghai Longxiang and Skygale of Tianxu’s mission was to uncover what exactly was hidden on this Floating Continent.

Above a continuous mountain range on the surface of the Floating Continent.

The two starships hovered silently, their massive hulls casting a shadow that plunged the mountains below into darkness.

"That Eighth-Rank Serpent Demon Overlord appeared from here. Ancestor, please move back a bit!"

In the communication channel, Song Chi gave a warning. Dinghai Longxiang quickly ascended to a higher altitude. Once Skygale of Tianxu had transformed into a mini neutron star and the surrounding temperature had dissipated, he descended again.

Skygale of Tianxu, in his neutron star form, led the way, slowly descending toward the mountain below.

They expected the energy shields to collide with the mountain, but to their surprise, as the mini neutron star descended, it gradually vanished from sight without any collision.

Soon, under the watchful eyes of hundreds of thousands of Song Family members, Skygale of Tianxu and Dinghai Longxiang disappeared one after the other.

"What’s going on? Where are Ancestor and Ancestor Chi?"

"Could it be a trap set by the Eight-Armed Serpent Demons? Should we inform the guardian lord?"

...

"There’s no need to worry. Ancestor hasn’t sent any warning, so there shouldn’t be any major issues!"

With Song Shiyuan’s reassurance, the unrest in the communication group chat was quickly quelled.

Although he explained it this way, Song Shiyuan’s true source of information was the Market of All Heavens. The Song Family’s core leadership was already aware of the Market of All Heavens’ status. After all, even the Demon Serpent Continent couldn’t affect the Market of All Heavens, and now they were dealing with just a peak Seventh-Rank Floating Continent. Even if there were secrets, they wouldn’t surpass the level of the Demon Serpent Continent.

Since Song Chi and Song Shiyuan hadn’t received any warnings through the Market of All Heavens, it meant that everything was still within control.

The reason they didn’t inform the family members directly was because it was necessary.

Currently, there was an All-Heaven Teleportation Platform set up in the Dragon Spine Continent, but only the absolute core members of the Song Family knew about it, specifically all those of the Fourth Rank and above, including some core Third-Rank members.

Among the hundreds of thousands of family members, the majority were Second Rank. While they were considered the elite of the Song Family, their large numbers made it difficult to ensure that there weren’t any spies from other factions. It was necessary to be cautious.

...

This was a valley spanning tens of millions of square kilometers, with a sizable lake and mostly lush green plains. At first glance, it gave Song Chi and his companion a sense of a hidden paradise.

In a typical low-tier Floating Continent civilization, such an environment would be considered a valuable asset, suitable for farming or livestock, and could serve as the foundation for a faction to amass power and resources.

However, in the vast Star Sea, it held no particular allure.

Despite this, this special valley made the two Seventh-Rank ship captains feel a sense of unease.

"Something’s off. This valley is very strange..."

In the communication channel, Song Chi was the first to speak.

Song Wujian nodded in agreement.

"Yes, there seems to be a special kind of energy in this valley. If I’m not mistaken, this is a special Spiritual Ground."

...

The moment Song Chi heard the words "Spiritual Ground", his eyes lit up. He wasn't unfamiliar with this term, but he hadn't immediately connected the dots. Now, with the old ancestor's explanation, he nodded immediately.

Speaking of Spiritual Grounds, this is actually a rather vague term, as there are many types, each with its own unique characteristics.

For example, the misty swamp they had encountered earlier could, in a strict sense, also be considered a Spiritual Ground. Its uniqueness lay in the strange, self-generated mist, which, under the influence of its energy, eventually gave birth to the valuable and special Mist Half-Snake People.

Each Spiritual Ground is a result of various fortuitous circumstances on the Star Sea Floating Continent. They possess various miraculous effects: some produce unique resources, some accelerate the growth of plants, and some enhance the potential of living beings. In short, Spiritual Grounds are a highly special type of resource.

Some Spiritual Grounds with extremely rare attributes are so valuable that they can be compared to the legendary Star Sea treasures.

According to Song Chi's knowledge, the Northern Dome Shen Clan controls a Spiritual Ground that can nurture "Flame Sparrows." Combined with their clan's "Void Sea Flame Phoenix Legacy", this allows some core members of the Shen Clan to enter a soul contract with Flame Sparrows, thereby enhancing their fire-elemental talents.

Unfortunately, due to his background, Shen Youran did not have the qualifications to contract a Flame Sparrow.

In the communication channel, Song Chi and his companion exchanged a glance, and then the two warships, which seemed to have shrunk in size, began to descend toward the valley floor.

Since they had identified this as a Spiritual Ground, they naturally needed to determine its specific properties.

After all, given that the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon clan had left an Eighth-Rank Serpent Demon Sovereign to guard this place, the effects of this Spiritual Ground should not be insignificant.

However, before the two warships could descend much further, a series of splashes came from the lake at the center of the valley.

Amid the surging waves, three more Eight-Armed Serpent Demons appeared before Song Chi and his companion.

"Something's wrong, they're all Eighth-Rank Serpent Demons, old ancestor, let's retreat!"

Through his Double Pupil, Song Chi quickly assessed the strength of the three Serpent Demons and reacted swiftly.

The two warships rapidly ascended, attempting to escape the valley as quickly as possible.

Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, two heavy impacts were heard, and the hulls of the warships shook violently, bringing their rapid ascent to a halt.

In the main control room of the Skygale of Tianxu, Song Chi's expression darkened.

At some point, the light barrier above their heads had transformed into a containment barrier, completely blocking their escape route.

"Old ancestor, enter the Market of All Heavens!"

Although the space was sealed, the Market of All Heavens was unaffected. Song Chi had initially intended to recall the old ancestor along with the warship, but the three Eighth-Rank Serpent Demons arrived faster than expected, leaving no time.

So, he had to settle for a secondary plan.

Song Wujian didn't waste any time. He transferred control of his warship to the onboard semi-intelligence and entered the Market of All Heavens using a Market Passage Token.

As for Song Chi, he didn't choose to enter the Market of All Heavens.

Because he didn't need to.

Swoosh!

The warship's hatch opened, and the Flame Wrath Giant roared as it charged out.

The hatch of the Skygale of Tianxu then closed again, and Song Chi activated the "Enslavement Seal" feature of the Celestial Pivot Ring.

Instantly, the Flame Wrath Giant's aura surged to the Eighth Rank.

This wasn't all. Song Chi then activated the "Mirror Image" ability, creating a warship that was almost identical to the Skygale of Tianxu.

Under Song Chi's command, the enraged Flame Wrath Giant and the mirror warship confronted two of the three Eighth-Rank Serpent Demons, while the Skygale of Tianxu itself faced the last one.

In the warship's main control room, Song Chi held a Market Projection Token in his hand. After a moment of thought, he shook his head and put the token away.

Although this valley had been sealed off by the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon clan's special means, isolating it from the outside world, he wasn't sure if it could completely hide from the outside. This meant that summoning a projection of the Market of All Heavens wasn't entirely safe.

Based on this, he decided not to use the Market Projection Token for now. If the situation changed, he could always activate it later.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end