Chapter 705: Ambush

Chapter 705: Ambush

At this moment, the three Skygale of Tianxu mirror warships were located in a ring-shaped asteroid belt, hundreds of thousands of light-years away from an Eighth-Tier Life Floating Continent.

Their mission, of course, was not to target this Eighth-Tier Life Floating Continent. With the current strength of the Salvage Fleet, they were far from capable of challenging such a powerful Floating Continent.

The Skygale of Tianxu mirror warships were indeed powerful, capable of defeating ordinary Eighth-Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demons. However, an Eighth-Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demon and an Eighth-Tier Life Floating Continent were entirely different in nature.

Not to mention, the super Floating Continent shield that enveloped the Floating Continent was not something that could be easily breached. Even creating a small crack in it would be extremely difficult and could easily alert the Eighth-Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demons stationed within.

Their true objective was a Seventh-Tier Life Floating Continent much farther away. They had merely chosen this asteroid belt as a temporary hiding spot while their jump drives were in cooldown.

But fate had a way of playing tricks. Before the jump drive cooldown was complete, a warning came from the Liyane Zhouhai mirror warship.

"A fleet of over a thousand Eight-Armed Serpent Demons has appeared to the side of the asteroid belt..."

This information was relayed by Liyane Zhouhai, whose enhanced Level 90 black replica sky radar detected that the small fleet was using high-rank stealth artifacts to travel, which was why the Skygale of Tianxu and Dinghai Longxiang had not noticed them immediately.

Both the Skygale of Tianxu and the Dinghai Longxiang were currently equipped with golden sky radars, which might be top-notch for ordinary warships but were, in fact, the weakest components of the Skygale of Tianxu. The "Eye of Heaven" had become a liability.

Before Song Chi could think further, Song Yan's voice came again:

"Further scans by my mirror warship reveal that this Eight-Armed Serpent Demon fleet, though small in number, is exceptionally powerful. It includes three Eighth-Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demons, twelve Seventh-Rank ones, and the rest are Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth-Rank."

Hearing this, the expressions of the high-ranking family members in the group chat changed dramatically. This lineup was formidable, especially considering their location deep within the territory of the Eight-Armed Serpent Demons. Any confrontation would be extremely dangerous.

Not only were the high-ranking members like Song Xuancang hesitant, but even Song Chi, Song Wujian, Song Shiyuan, and Song Yan, the four warship captains, were uncertain.

From their previous battle on the Young Serpent Floating Continent, it was clear that they could defeat this elite Eight-Armed Serpent Demon force. However, the key issue was that the battlefield was in the heart of the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon territory. If they couldn't achieve a quick victory, a Ninth-Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demon overlord might intervene.

If that happened, it would be a serious problem. With only three warship mirrors, they couldn't completely eliminate the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon force. They would need to summon reinforcements from the main fleet, which would leave them vulnerable. This was the true reason for their hesitation.

The group chat remained silent, but Song Yan's next words became the final catalyst.

"Wait, there's something in that Heaven Serpent Mothership. It's tricolor... tricolor light!"

"What, tricolor light? Could it be a lower-rank tricolor artifact?"

"Xiaoyan, can you be sure?"

The discussion in the group chat intensified as everyone's eyes gleamed with excitement. Song Yan nodded firmly.

"I just remotely activated the 'Secondary True Vision' feature of the sky radar on the mirror warship. I can confirm that the Heaven Serpent Mothership contains a strong tricolor light!"

...

With Song Yan's confirmation, the expressions of the Song Family members in the group chat changed dramatically.

If they had been hesitant and indecisive before, now they were all fired up with the prospect of acquiring a tricolor mythic artifact. After five thousand years since the family's rise, the only mythic artifact they possessed was the "Dragon Whale Hall", which their ancestor had obtained by chance. Now, a second mythic artifact was within their grasp, and they were determined not to let it slip away.

Although the high-ranking members had reached a consensus, Song Chi and the others did not rush into action.

Three Eighth-Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demons and over a dozen Seventh-Rank ones were responsible for the escort...

They were using high-rank stealth artifacts...

Hidden among them was a colorful mythic artifact...

All of this silently explained a lot.

"Based on the information we have, it's almost certain that this elite snake demon fleet is under the command of a Ninth Rank snake demon. The colorful mythic artifact in the Heaven Serpent Mothership must belong to that Ninth Rank snake demon."

"Their destination for this secret transport is likely the center of the river system cluster, the Demon God Floating Continent. Therefore, when we make our move, there's an over eighty percent chance that the Ninth Rank snake demon overlord will intervene from a distance. We must be fully prepared before we act!"

Song Wujian's serious voice echoed, and the Song Family's high-ranking members began a detailed discussion on the matter.

There was no need to elaborate on the rarity and value of a colorful mythic artifact. They had to plan for the worst-case scenario to avoid any unexpected outcomes.

"Alright, according to Little Flame's intel, the snake demon fleet is about to leave the monitoring range. It's time to move!"

As soon as Song Wujian finished speaking, many core members of the Song Family's Advance Fleet quickly disappeared.

Meanwhile, millions of light-years away, inside an asteroid belt.

In the main control room of the Skygale of Tianxu mirror ship, Song Chi appeared quietly.

After being teleported from the Market of All Heavens to the mirror ship, Song Chi wasted no time.

Whoosh—

The mirror ship's hatch opened swiftly, and the Dimensional Space Stone shot out, quickly followed by dozens of core Song Family members appearing inside the asteroid belt.

Despite the seemingly small number of Song Family members present, they were all elite core members.

Song Shiyuan, Song Shixing, Song Xingru, Shen Youran, Song Xuancang, Song Yiming, Song Ting, Song Hanyu, Song Tianshu, Song Tianmang...

One could say that almost all Song Family members of the rank of battleship captain and above were present.

Additionally, Song Chi, Song Wujian, and Song Yan had all brought their main warships.

After that, each person quickly summoned their respective warships and began charging their ship cannons under the stealth effect of the Hidden River.

At a certain moment, Song Wujian's voice rang out in the magnetic wave communication group.

"Everyone, fire!"

Boom, boom, boom!

Instantly, countless beams of light roared out from the asteroid belt, piercing through the dark expanse of space marked by Song Yan.

Under the concentrated fire of these numerous beams, the seemingly calm and empty space began to erupt with explosions, and one by one, the previously hidden Sky Serpent warships revealed themselves.

This round of concentrated fire, combining the strongest attacks of all core Song Family members, inflicted heavy casualties on the snake demon fleet in a short time.

Especially the Fourth and Fifth Rank Sky Serpent warships, over three hundred of which sank within ten seconds.

Even the dozen or so Seventh Rank snake demon overlords, known for their robust life force, had two of their number fall.

However, before the Song Family members in the asteroid belt could rejoice at this outcome, Song Wujian's rebuke came through the communication group.

"Everyone, recall your warships and activate your tokens. Do not return until you receive further orders. Hurry, execute immediately!"

Since they were well aware of the plan, the core members did not hesitate and recalled their warships. They then used the Market of All Heavens walking token to teleport directly into the Market of All Heavens walking room.

In the blink of an eye, the asteroid belt was empty, leaving only three star destroyer clones, the Skygale of Tianxu, and the Immovable Vidyaraja.

Even Song Chi's Skygale of Tianxu did not stay long.

Eternal True Spirit Nest

Frost Void Prison

After quickly activating these two components, Song Chi recalled the main body of the Skygale of Tianxu and entered the Pantheon Market with it.

After that, the asteroid belt was left with only three star destroyer clones and the Immovable Vidyaraja.

Of course, it also included all the true spirit souls released from the Eternal True Spirit Nest.

More than ten Eighth Rank true spirit souls and nearly forty Seventh Rank true spirit souls, under Song Chi's earlier instructions, were now swarming out of the asteroid belt, rapidly heading towards the chaotic remains of the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon fleet.

As for the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon elite fleet, which had suffered a sudden attack, they did not retaliate immediately but instead focused on comforting the surviving mid-ranking Eight-Armed Serpent Demons. <|im_end|>

With the order re-established, the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon elite fleet quickly fled, showing no intention of engaging in battle.

Seeing this, Song Chi and his three companions realized that the importance of the colorful mythic artifact was even higher than they had imagined. Everything this elite fleet had done was clearly to ensure the safety of the colorful artifact.

However, they were overthinking it. The plan devised by dozens of core members of the Song Family would not overlook such a critical point.

In fact, the [Frost Void Prison] that Song Chi activated when he left with the main battleship was precisely to prevent such a scenario.

At this moment, the entire asteroid belt and the surrounding starry sky were sealed by the golden component, and not just a single layer. The Skygale of Tianxu mirror battleship also activated a replicated [Frost Void Prison], and the two layers of golden sealing light screens were tightly overlapped. Even if the three Eighth Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demons in the elite team used their full strength, they could not break through it in a short time.

Soon, an overwhelming number of True Spirit Souls caught up with the Serpent Demon fleet. In front of the Seventh and Eighth Rank True Spirit Souls, the mid-rank Serpent Demons were being massacred.

Faced with this situation, the Seventh and Eighth Rank Serpent Demon Overlords in the fleet had no choice but to take action. As a result, a large number of top-tier combatants were inevitably tied down.

Next, it was the turn of the Skygale of Tianxu and the other two battleship clones to take the lead.

Before breaking through the asteroid belt, the Skygale of Tianxu mirror battleship among the three clones activated another component.

The replicated [Four Symbols Wheel Seal]!

Apart from the three starship clones, the last binding target was Song Shiyuan's [Immovable Vidyaraja]. This was also the sole reason Song Shiyuan remained behind.

Of course, the [Immovable Vidyaraja] only needed to maintain the effect of the [Four Symbols Wheel Seal] and did not have to venture out to fight.

Watching the three starship clones, now adorned with a bright golden circle of profound law threads, the dragon, tiger, bird, and turtle saintly beast projections appeared above the battleships. Song Shiyuan's Spiritual Energy surged, and soon, threads of Spiritual Energy gathered in his hand around the Market of All Heavens Walking Order.

Before activating the Market of All Heavens Walking Order to enter the Market of All Heavens, Song Shiyuan watched as the Skygale of Tianxu and the other two starship clones charged out of the asteroid belt and quickly confronted the two Eighth Rank Serpent Demons in the distant Serpent Demon fleet. The battle was about to begin.

His eyes flickering with indecision, Song Shiyuan also wanted to stay and fight alongside the others. However, he could not. The Song Family's current development speed was indeed alarming, with four starship captains emerging in just over a thousand years.

But that was not enough. The family needed to be cautious. The rapid emergence of multiple starship captains in a short time represented the Song Family's potential and short-term opportunities, which were indeed important for an immortal sect. However, the most crucial aspect for a truly powerful immortal sect was only four words.

Succession in Order!

What does succession in order mean?

It means that each generation of the family can cultivate outstanding disciples, and after thousands of years, when the family transitions from old to new, there will be suitable successors to continue the family's starship legacy.

This is the key to the enduring prosperity of those super sects.

Therefore, the Song Family was far from the point where it could relax its vigilance. Ensuring the safety of core family members remained the top priority.

With a Ninth Rank Serpent Demon Overlord capable of striking from a distance, he, as a starship captain, could not stay here and take the risk.

Spiritual Energy gathered in his palm, and the [Market of All Heavens Walking Order] was quickly activated. Spatial power surged from the silver token, enveloping Song Shiyuan's entire body.

Just before Song Shiyuan was about to enter the Market of All Heavens, another special component on the [Immovable Vidyaraja] was activated.

The [Divine Thought Chapter]!

The last component Song Shiyuan activated was the [Divine Thought Chapter].

This component was originally always installed in the Skygale of Tianxu. To meet the activation conditions of the [Four Symbols Wheel Seal], the [Immovable Vidyaraja] had to take the risk. Therefore, on the advice of the family's upper echelons, the [Divine Thought Chapter] was uninstalled by Song Chi without damage and became a safeguard for the [Immovable Vidyaraja].

Buzz!

The divine thought imprint surged into Song Shiyuan's body, successfully binding him with the Immovable Vidyaraja.

With this step completed, he finally ceased resistance and followed the pull into the Pantheon Market.

With this divine thought imprint, even if a Ninth-Rank Snake Demon were to strike from a distance, he could still remotely recall the Immovable Vidyaraja back to the Pantheon Market.

Song Chi had already ensured that the Pantheon Market would lift its shielding restrictions when he performed the remote summoning.

This was the final action plan devised by the Song Family after numerous discussions. While it might not be the most successful, it was the most suitable under the condition of ensuring the absolute safety of all clan members.

Song Shiyuan's departure had no impact on the overall battle situation. The fighting outside was still incredibly intense.

Although the Song Family appeared to have only three star-destroyer clones, the true spirit souls released by Song Chi played a significant role. They not only delayed all the Seventh-Rank Eight-Armed Serpent Demons for the three star-destroyers, but the Eighth-Rank true spirit souls also managed to tie down the lone Eighth-Rank peak Eight-Armed Serpent Demon, significantly reducing the pressure on the three star-destroyers.

Seizing this opportunity, Song Chi ordered the frenzied Star-Devouring Wolf to block one of the remaining two Eighth-Rank Snake Demons. With the Four Symbols Wheel Seal's enhancement, Dinghai Longxiang and Liyane Zhouhai jointly held back the last one.

As for Song Chi, the sole target of the Skygale of Tianxu mirror warship was the massive Heaven Serpent Mothership.

The Song Family naturally would not lose sight of the main objective in this battle.

The most powerful Skygale of Tianxu mirror warship, along with the summoned Asura Emperor, stood right before the Heaven Serpent Mothership.

Limitless Immortal Quantum Star Annihilator · "Limitless Immortal Quantum Sword Light"!

Black Hole Evolution Layer · "Black Hole"!

Blood Spear · "Mark of the God of Hunting's Weakness"!

Swish!

The powerful Immortal-Slaying Sword Light pierced through, and soon a terrifying energy storm swept across.

This Heaven Serpent Mothership, responsible for transporting the colorful artifacts, was far from ordinary. It was not a low-tier Heaven Serpent Mothership; just the special shield enveloping the flagship had a defense level reaching Ninth-Rank.

As the terrifying energy storm slightly subsided, Song Chi, observing the battlefield from a distance, noticed that the special shield around the Heaven Serpent Mothership had only dimmed by a third.

Seeing this, he felt no surprise and instead accelerated his attacks even more!

Asura Time Blade

Primordial Copper Ram · "Primordial Impact"!

Sovereign Ivory Ram · "Fury of the Elephant King"!

Antimatter Evolution Engine · "Hyperspeed Burst"!

The crimson blade light unleashed by the Asura Emperor's blood-red long knife dimmed the shield by another two-thirds.

After that, the Skygale of Tianxu mirror warship suddenly transformed into a blur, charging straight into the Heaven Serpent Mothership without hesitation.

At this moment, a massive tremor suddenly shook the sky above. The two layers of golden ice frost lockdown light screens, nearly overlapping, were covered in a web of cracks.

Clearly, a Ninth-Rank Snake Demon had struck!

In the Pantheon Market, Song Chi's breath caught.

His eyes fixed on the ice frost lockdown light screen above, filled with spider-web cracks, his heart filled with intense doubt.

'How is this possible? Could it be that a Ninth-Rank Snake Demon Sovereign has personally arrived?'

Thinking this, his heart sank. He knew very well what this meant.

But he quickly shook his head.

'That doesn't make sense. Even if a Ninth-Rank Snake Demon Sovereign were to personally arrive and use their full strength, it wouldn't have this level of power. When the two Ninth-Rank Sovereigns of the Red Star Continent personally intervened, the ice frost lockdown light screen held for a while...'

As he thought, he seemed to realize something.

'It must be a Ninth-Rank Snake Demon on the Demon God Floating Continent striking from a distance. The will of a Ninth-Rank peak Floating Continent is far more formidable than the Red Star Continent, which had no such enhancement. This is the only explanation!'

Song Chi deduced the situation outside and grew increasingly calm. He used telepathy to order the Asura Emperor to accelerate his attack, while his Mirror Image Warship continued its relentless charge towards the Heaven Serpent Mothership.

Boom!

The replicated Mythic Pulse Energy Shield collided with the outer shield of the Heaven Serpent Mothership. Due to its unique properties, the Mythic Pulse Energy Shield remained resilient, absorbing over 90% of the impact damage. In contrast, the Heaven Serpent Mothership's special shield was rendered useless by the direct collision from the Skygale of Tianxu.

Without any cushioning, this single impact created a massive gash in the hull of the Mothership.

However, this was clearly not enough. As a masterpiece of the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon civilization, the Heaven Serpent Mothership was far from fragile.

Song Chi had anticipated this. Just as he was about to activate his subsequent tactics, another intense rumble echoed from above.

This time, it was accompanied by the sound of shattering.

Two layers of the Golden Frost Lockdown Barrier couldn't withstand even two attacks.

Looking up, the dark starry sky was enveloped by dense spatial energy. The purest of this spatial energy had been condensed by special means into an eight-armed shadow spanning billions of kilometers.

Just a second ago, this eight-armed shadow had effortlessly shattered the two layers of the Golden Frost Lockdown Barrier. Now, one of its arms was about to strike again.

Even after witnessing the power of Ninth-Rank beings multiple times from the safety of the Pantheon Market, Song Chi's heart still trembled uncontrollably.

'Ninth-Rank peak, this eight-armed shadow possesses Ninth-Rank peak combat strength...'

'Even from across the vast expanse of space, it still wields Ninth-Rank peak power. Could it be that this Ninth-Rank Serpent Demon Sovereign, under the influence of the Demon God Floating Continent, has already reached the limit of Ninth-Rank power?'

Before he could think further, a call from his ancestor, Song Wujian, came from behind.

"Xiao Chi, hurry!"

Looking at the battlefield in the sky, a beam of golden light suddenly shot out from the Mirror Image of the Dinghai Longxiang Warship.

Soon, a massive spatial rift appeared behind the Eighth-Rank Serpent Demon Sovereign facing Liyane Zhouhai. Despite the Sovereign's desperate struggles and resistance, it was temporarily exiled into the void by the Exile Light.

However, the spatial rift remained open, and a steady stream of Earth Law energy continued to pour out, indicating that the exile effect wouldn't last long.

But this was enough time for the two starship avatars.

The Dinghai Longxiang's engines suddenly went into overdrive, propelling it upwards.

Visibly, the gap between the Dinghai Longxiang and the descending giant arm shadow grew smaller. Just as they were about to collide, the entire Dinghai Longxiang transformed, and its hull was suddenly covered in layers of dark star shells.

"Deadly Calamity Star Shell Armor"!

Boom!

With the ship's armor protection activated, the Dinghai Longxiang collided with the giant arm shadow, causing a massive explosion that spread across the starry sky.

Despite Song Wujian's best efforts, the Dinghai Longxiang was just a starship, and its avatar had reduced combat power. It couldn't truly withstand a Ninth-Rank peak attack.

As the energy storm dissipated, the giant arm shadow, though dimmer, continued its descent.

In this situation, Song Wujian acted decisively. Under his control, the heavily damaged Dinghai Longxiang avatar suddenly emitted a powerful explosion.

A mushroom cloud rose, and the Dinghai Longxiang avatar disintegrated in a self-destruction.

The effect was clear; the giant arm shadow finally dissipated, its power completely nullified.

Before the four Song Family members in the Market of All Heavens could celebrate, the fourth arm of the eight-armed shadow in the sky moved to strike again.

This time, it was Liyane Zhouhai, controlled by Song Yan, who stepped forward. Compared to the Dinghai Longxiang, Liyane Zhouhai was much stronger, as Song Yan immediately activated the "Flame Deity Sovereign True Spirit Protection" characteristic of the Flame Deity Sovereign Skull, enhanced to Level 90.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end