Chapter 733: The Final Reward for the Song Family

Chapter 733: The Final Reward for the Song Family

Upon hearing these words, all eyes immediately turned to the holographic projections of Song Chi and his three companions.

While a few glances were tinged with scrutiny and envy, most were filled with admiration and gratitude.

Most of those present were the leaders of various factions, or at the very least, influential figures. They were fully aware of the situation in the Civilization War and knew that without the Song Family's intervention, the war would have been even more brutal, with casualties skyrocketing.

In a sense, all factions owed the Song Family a favor.

Song Chi and his companions remained silent, waiting for the four emperors to speak further.

"Veritas Mechanica and the stellar giant ape civilization's new galactic cluster coordinates were provided by the Song Family. Additionally, the cultivated wormhole passage was constructed by them. Based on these two points, after a discussion among the four of us, we have decided to grant the Song Family the following five rewards:"

1. Three slots for the primordial energy tide bath after a ninth-tier Floating Continent ascension.
2. One Mythical Soul.
3. Two plots of land in the public area of the Demon God Floating Continent.
4. One Mythical Component of their choice.
5. An additional river system territory.

"Whoa!"

After hearing all five rewards, the joint communication channel was filled with a series of sharp intakes of breath.

Each of these rewards was priceless.

First, the three slots for the primordial energy tide bath after a ninth-tier Floating Continent ascension. This means that in the future, the Song Family will receive three slots to bathe in the energy tide when an eighth-tier Floating Continent ascends to the ninth tier, and these are not ordinary slots.

The key lies in the term "primordial." When an eighth-tier Floating Continent ascends to a ninth-tier Floating Continent, the energy tide generated is staggering, capable of benefiting millions of beings simultaneously. However, these slots are usually just ordinary ones, offering a significant boost at best during the fifth-tier to sixth-tier ascension.

The special bathing areas that can help a sixth-tier being ascend to the seventh tier, a seventh-tier to the eighth tier, and an eighth-tier to the ninth tier are limited. On an entire Floating Continent, there might be only a few dozen such areas.

These areas, due to their unique terrain, can gather more and purer energy tide forces, providing a greater enhancement effect for Flame-Ember Starships or living beings during ascension. These are known as primordial energy tide bathing sites by the captains.

The three slots promised by the four emperors are not from the core of the Floating Continent's primordial core, which is the primary gathering point for the energy tide and is reserved for the most advanced Galactic Ships to ascend to superdimensional flagships. However, they are certainly sufficient to provide a significant boost for Annihilator Ships ascending to Galactic Ships.

The value of these three slots is self-evident.

Of course, the captains understood that the primary reason for this reward was the recent occupation of the entire Octopus Serpent Demon Galactic Cluster.

The Octopus Serpent Demon civilization, with a history spanning over a million years, does not have as many ninth-tier Floating Continents as the Ember Human Galactic Cluster. However, it has a significant number of eighth-tier Floating Continents, many of which are at the peak or even the limit of the eighth tier. With some manual intervention, these Floating Continents have a good chance of undergoing a transformation.

The second reward, the Mythical Soul, is something even the captains of eighth-tier Galactic Ships covet. Essentially, it is similar to the True Spirit of a Sovereign, which comes from seventh to ninth-tier Star Sea sovereign beings. The Mythical Soul, as the name suggests, comes from mythical beings.

For Ember Captains, the Mythical Soul is a necessary resource for strengthening colored components to level 100. While Mythical Souls can also be produced in certain special environments or by special beings, this does not diminish their value. Anything associated with the mythical is anything but ordinary.

The third reward, two plots of land on the Demon God Floating Continent, is self-explanatory. This Floating Continent is likely to become the highest market holy land for the entire Ember Human civilization. If the Song Family uses these two plots wisely, they will undoubtedly become cash cows, generating a steady stream of wealth.

The fourth reward, the choice of one Mythical Component, is even more valuable. The question is whether it will be a lower-quality colored component or if it will include one or two higher-quality colored components.

What the various factions were most envious of was the last item on the list—the addition of a river system territory. This was a direct territory of the Ember Human Civilization, and aside from its unparalleled safety and stability, it was a true foundation that could be passed down for tens or hundreds of thousands of years. Compared to those extraterrestrial colonies, its value was vastly higher.

This could be seen from the records of the Star Sea's top ten Sovereign Civilizations. Take the Wizard Civilization, for example. Every major power within this Sovereign Civilization had secured multiple river systems in the initial Galactic Cluster of the wizard humans.

It was precisely because of these territories that they were able to accumulate enough foundational resources, allowing these major powers to later expand outward and seize even larger territories and benefits in the vast Star Sea. Even if they suffered occasional setbacks, they could retreat to their original ancestral lands to recover and then re-emerge with renewed strength.

This rule was not limited to the Wizard Civilization; all long-standing Star Sea civilizations followed this pattern, and the Ember Human Civilization was no exception.

For instance, during this Civilization War, major powers like the Beidou Seven Star Hall, Xian Qin Heavy Industry Group, Fuyao Pei Clan, and Tianying Tan Clan all secured second or even third river system territories outside their ancestral river systems.

The Captains were not actually opposed to this; the current reaction was simply due to the Song Family's relatively short history—only about five thousand years—and their status as an immortal noble house for less than two thousand years, which created a significant psychological gap for them.

The Four Human Emperors, including Song Chi and his companions, were well aware of the Captains' thoughts but paid them no mind.

There was a saying, wasn't there?

If you don't steal and you don't rob, you have a clear conscience!

All of these territories were earned through the Song Family's genuine contributions, not through favoritism.

"Besides the Red Disk Galaxy territory, have you chosen the second river system yet?"

"Emperor Jiang, this is a significant matter. Could we discuss it further?"

"Of course!"

...

In the group chat of the Song Family's four Annihilator Ships:

Song Yan: "How about choosing the adjacent Snake Tooth River System? It would be more convenient for us to manage in the future!"

Song Shiyuan: "Although it’s a free river system, it still affects the family's future potential. The Snake Tooth River System is only about 700,000 light-years in diameter, making it more convenient, but its resources are less than half of those in the Heavenly Disk River System."

Song Yan: "What does the Ancestor think, then?"

Song Shiyuan: "How about the Copper Snake River System? Not only does it have a diameter of 1.6 million light-years, but the resources on the Copper Snake Floating Continent, such as the Mist Half-Snakes, are also well-known. Choosing this river system would serve two purposes."

...

Song Chi: "The Copper Snake River System is indeed a good choice and could annoy the Fusang Dynasty, but the problem is that it is tens of millions of light-years away from the Red Disk Galaxy. Is that not an issue?"

Song Chi: "It might be fine under normal circumstances, but if the Song Family ever falls out of favor in the future, it could be easy for hidden forces to cut off the connection between the two territories."

Song Chi's point was simple: a vast span of territory would significantly increase future management difficulties. While the Song Family was in power, this might not be a problem, but during a period of decline, even with a spatial wormhole, certain hidden forces could use special means to sever the connection. After all, the spatial wormhole generator is just a golden component, and the cultivated spatial wormhole it creates is not invincible.

After much discussion, they still couldn't reach a consensus and finally turned to their patriarch, Song Wujian.

Song Wujian pondered for a long time before speaking.

"Let's choose the Dragon Serpent River System!"

Song Chi and the others raised their eyebrows, clearly surprised.

Glancing at the star map, they quickly found the location of the Dragon Serpent River System.

Strictly speaking, the Dragon Serpent River System was also adjacent to the Red Disk Galaxy, but unlike the Snake Tooth River System, which was directly to the north, the Dragon Serpent River System was located to the northeast, a bit farther away—about 300,000 light-years, which was negligible compared to tens of millions of light-years.

More importantly, the Dragon Serpent River System was quite substantial, with a diameter of 1.26 million light-years. The capital, the Dragon Serpent Floating Continent, was an eighth-level life Floating Continent.

Moreover, according to a message Song Wujian had just sent, the Dragon Serpent Floating Continent was home to a special biological resource.

The Dragon Blood King Snake!

The Dragon Blood King Snake possesses a trace of black dragon blood. When it bonds with an Ember Captain, it grants them a special constitution—the Dragon Serpent King Body.

This constitution enhances the Ember Captain's comprehension, providing a certain boost to their understanding of laws and the practice of secret techniques.

Of course, this boost is not significant, otherwise, it would be widely known. Overall, its effect is slightly inferior to the training enhancement provided by the Mist Half-Snakes.

However, Song Wujian's point was that they already had a substantial share of the Mist Half-Snakes. Instead of increasing their share from 20% to 100%, it would be better to choose a new resource. More importantly, the Dragon Serpent River System is adjacent to the Red Disk Galaxy, achieving two goals at once.

"I think it's a good choice!"

“I agree!”

“Let’s choose the Dragon Serpent River System, then. However, this river system is occupied by the Ninth Advance Fleet. At the beginning of the Civilization War, it was divided among several immortal clans of the Ninth Route Advance Fleet. Won’t this offend them?”

“We don’t need to worry about that. Since the four Emperors have spoken, they will have their own ways to resolve any issues. As for whether it will offend them, that’s inevitable. But with these five rewards, if we can digest them properly, the Dragon Spine Song Family will be able to enter the top tier of immortal clans in a short time. Why should we care about their opinions?”

...

“Are you sure about the Dragon Serpent River System? Once chosen, it cannot be changed!”

“Your Majesty, the Song Family is certain we want the Dragon Serpent River System!”

In the group chat, facing the second inquiry from the Shenxia Jiliu (Divine Summer Jiliu), Song Wujian replied confidently.

Thus, the territory under the Song Family’s control was finally determined. In addition to the 300,000 light-year territory in the Red Disk Galaxy, they now gained the entire Dragon Serpent River System.

This wasn’t the end. There was one more step left: selecting the Colored Myth component.

The four Human Emperors didn’t rush this. After confirming the distribution of resources among all parties, they waited until all the Flame-Ember Starships had left, leaving only the five Superdimensional Flagships and the Skygale of Tianxu in the silent space. Only then did they allow Song Chi to make his choice.

The Veritas Mechanica was originally discovered by Song Chi, so the three of them, including Song Wujian, wouldn’t compete for this Colored Myth artifact. Additionally, the three spots for bathing in the origin energy tides of the Ninth-Stage Floating Continent were occupied by Song Chi, with two spots reserved for himself and the last one for the entire family.

For the allocation of these two spots, one was naturally reserved for the Skygale of Tianxu. As for the second spot, Song Chi didn’t plan to give it to Shen You Ran or Song Han Yu.

At present, both were only Fearless Captains. The Song Family already possessed the golden-quality Essence Core Stealer, and with the newly acquired Dragon Serpent River System, it wouldn’t be difficult to secure two or three Seventh-Stage Floating Continents in a short time. There was no need to waste this precious Ninth-Stage energy tide bathing spot.

He intended to use it for the family’s elder ancestor or the original ancestor, which would further increase their chances of becoming a Galactic Ship Captain in the future.

A burst of light flashed before his eyes, pulling his wandering thoughts back to the present.

Looking at the holographic screen in front of him, Song Chi carefully examined the details displayed.

The screen, projected by the Shenxia Jiliu, showed multiple Colored Myth components, each with detailed attributes.

Song Chi’s gaze first landed on a component called the Three Realms Five Elements Voucher, as it was the only upper-tier colored component among the seven.

Three Realms Five Elements Voucher (Level 0)

Quality: Colored / Upper

Unique Trait: Beyond the Three Realms, Not Bound by the Five Elements

Consumption: 800 Spiritual Energy points per second

Effect: When installed on a warship, it automatically grants a (Three Realms Five Elements) aura. In the absence of active attacks or being attacked, the warship will enter absolute stealth mode, achieving the highest priority in stealth effects.

...

Note: This component requires 20 slot positions.

{Beyond the Three Realms, Not Bound by the Five Elements: Consumes 2,000,000 Spiritual Energy points, immediately placing the warship in a void state, making it immune to any form of attack or targeting. Duration: 3 seconds, cooldown: 1,000 years.}

...

Just reading through this component, Song Chi’s breathing became slightly heavier. The Three Realms Five Elements Voucher was a permanent stealth component, providing far superior stealth effects compared to the Void Membrane and Mirage Dragon Pearl. Its unique trait, “Beyond the Three Realms, Not Bound by the Five Elements,” was an invincible ability.

Even if these effects were considered separately, they would still be considered top-notch. How much more so when combined?

At first glance, Song Chi knew this was the component he wanted. However, he was a bit puzzled.

Why would the four Human Emperors offer such a premium component as a reward? Logically, it would be more effective when installed on one of the four Superdimensional Flagships.

Despite his confusion, he wasn’t the type to complain after getting a good deal. Since he had seen it, he would naturally take it.

Of course, before making his choice, he glanced at the other six components.

After all, they were all Colored Myth components, and it wouldn’t hurt to indulge himself a little.

Dark Energy Counterbalance Berserk Shield

Titan Guardian Ship Armor

High-Energy Particle Star Destroyer Cannon

Of the six components, half were basic components, which didn’t attract Song Chi much.

The last three were special components, each with unique effects that caught his eye.

Virtual Combat System (Level 0)

Quality: Colored / Lower

Trait: Real Virtual World

Trait 2: Species Template Doubling

Trait 3: Virtual/Real Time Ratio 10/1

Trait 4: Random Virtual Reward Instances

Trait 5: Virtual Instance Rewards Always One Rank Higher

Trait 6: Virtual Linking

Trait 7: Virtual World Local Network

...

Abyss Furnace (Level 0)

Quality: Colored / Lower

Trait: Abyss Energy Pool

Trait 2: Everything Returns to the Abyss

...

Heaven’s Wings (Level 0)

Quality: Colored / Lower

Trait: Soul Heaven

Trait 2: Pseudo-Soul Immortality

...

Among the three components, Song Chi was most interested in the Virtual Combat System. This component allowed the Captain to input various targets for virtual combat, with a level of realism that was almost indistinguishable from reality, except that no one would actually die. Moreover, it could periodically generate a new virtual scenario, and if one could complete it, various rare rewards would be available.

Additionally, the system could link up with other Ember Captains and Flame-Ember Starships, allowing them to enter a virtual local network world for combat training. This not only significantly improved the practical skills of Ember Captains but also greatly enhanced the time efficiency of the Captain by leveraging the different time flow rates within the virtual world compared to the outside.

As for the Abyss Furnace, it was similar to the Black Hole Evolution Layer in that it could convert the energy from the Abyss. This energy, through the various characteristics of the Abyss Furnace component, could produce a variety of different effects.

The Heaven's Wings component, however, was difficult for Song Chi to evaluate. Its Soul Heaven characteristic could store the souls of living beings, allowing those souls that should have been extinguished to survive within this Soul Heaven. If a better method was found in the future, the souls could be released from the Soul Heaven and brought back to life using more advanced means.

In a sense, this was a resurrection component, but it lacked a genuine resurrection characteristic. It could only preserve the souls of designated beings, and not permanently either. The Pseudo-Soul Immortality characteristic allowed the soul to remain for fifty thousand years, after which, if the soul had not been revived by other means, it would be completely extinguished.

For Song Chi, this was not a rare resurrection component but rather a somewhat useless one. It might have some use in certain special situations, but ultimately, the souls would still be extinguished after fifty thousand years.

Resurrection abilities were exceedingly rare, even high-level time artifacts only provided nine opportunities. If one could be revived, it would be used immediately; if not, waiting fifty thousand years would be futile.

Finally, Song Chi's gaze fell on the Three Realms Five Elements Voucher and the Virtual Combat System. Among the seven components, these two were the most valuable to him.

After some hesitation, he finally chose the Three Realms Five Elements Voucher.

In terms of quality, the Three Realms Five Elements Voucher was of higher grade. In terms of practicality, both components were excellent, but following the principle of choosing the best among the best, the Three Realms Five Elements Voucher was clearly the more valuable.

Having made his choice, Song Chi tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, will the Virtual Combat System be offered as a reward again in the future?"

At this, laughter echoed from the several Superdimensional Flagships.

"Is this component also something you desire?"

Before Song Chi could answer, a reply came from the projection of the Xuan Huang Chi Yu.

"This component was acquired by me unexpectedly. If you are interested, I will allow you to exchange for it in the future, but you must not just talk. You must, as you did today, earn enough merit for the civilization!"

Feeling a surge of joy, Song Chi hastily responded, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will definitely work hard!"

...

After receiving the Three Realms Five Elements Voucher, Skygale of Tianxu quickly left the silent space, leaving only five Superdimensional Flagships in the area.

Once Song Chi had departed, the five remaining Superdimensional Captains of the Ember Human Civilization continued their discussion.

"This boy is quite good. With this Three Realms Five Elements Voucher, he should be able to officially enter the Ember Annihilator Starship General Ranking!"

"Ji Heng, you're mistaken. You weren't present during the Dragon Serpent Floating Continent battle. His flagship has a high-quality Ship Clone component. Based on our three evaluations, the virtual Chronal Chessboard component summoned by his Ship Clone was at least of the high-level colored variety!"

Upon hearing this, the previously smiling projection of Emperor Ji Heng's face turned serious.

"A Ship Clone component capable of replicating a high-level colored component, not only of equal value to a strategic-level component, but also a promising candidate for exploring the Chaotic Divine Land. No wonder you were so generous, giving him the Three Realms Five Elements Voucher!"

As Ji Heng finished speaking, the other four nodded in agreement.

Their thoughts were the same. From the moment Skygale of Tianxu's mirror battleship activated the replication of the Chronal Chessboard, Song Chi had been internally designated as the candidate for the Ember Flame Civilization's exploration of the Chaotic Divine Land.

As a special Floating Continent far beyond the Stellar Continent, the Chaotic Divine Land not only nurtures a large number of chaotic beasts but also houses countless apex races. Some say these are the descendants of the ruling races of various universes during the shattering of the multiverse, while others believe they are the remnants of the end times of various eras in the boundless Star Sea.

Regardless of the truth, the dangers of the Chaotic Divine Land are undeniable, and even mythic beings face significant risks when exploring it.

Thus, how to explore the Chaotic Divine Land freely while ensuring one's own safety became the most pressing issue for various civilizations.

Over countless ages, methods such as clones, duplicates, and remote control became the most popular ways for civilizations to explore the Chaotic Divine Land.

After all, if the true body were to fall during exploration, it would be a significant loss for the entire civilization. In contrast, if a clone or duplicate were to die, it could be summoned again after some time, allowing for hazard-free exploration without depleting the civilization's resources, competing with other civilizations or apex races, and chaotic beasts for high-level treasures.

While there are many methods for creating clones and duplicates, they vary in quality. The most basic methods are almost useless, and in the Chaotic Divine Land, where the true treasures and relics are fiercely contested, at least a mid-level clone would be necessary to have a chance.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end