Chapter 734: The Final Preparations for the Divine Summer Jiuli's Tenth Rank Ascension

Chapter 734: The Final Preparations for the Divine Summer Jiuli's Tenth Rank Ascension

"Based on the combat prowess displayed by that kid's Ship Clone, that Ship Clone component is undoubtedly an ultra-rare component. With the identity of a Star Annihilator Captain, it won't be long before he becomes a Chaos Walker capable of standing on his own!"

"Alright, we understand this. The key now is the Ascension of the Divine Summer Jiuli. Only a true mythic-level force can resolve our current predicament."

"Indeed, once the Divine Summer Jiuli Ascends, with the help of that rare clone component, it will be much easier to operate in the Chaos Divine Land, without the current constraints."

"So, have you decided? Which three Ninth-Rank Life Floating Continents will you sacrifice?"

...

At a certain moment, as they discussed a particular matter, the five Hyperdimensional Captains simultaneously paused, and the group chat fell into an unusual silence.

Seeing this, Jiang Yuan took the initiative to speak:

"Using the Demon God Floating Continent as the base, supplemented by the core essence of three Ninth-Rank Floating Continents at eighty percent, it will be sufficient to elevate the Demon God Floating Continent to the threshold of a Star Continent. At that time, with the help of this component, the Divine Summer Jiuli's Ascension success rate will skyrocket to the highest possible!"

As he spoke, he proactively sent a screenshot of the component's attribute panel in the group chat.

Life Pray God Ritual Level 100

Quality: Colored/Lower Tier

Unique Trait: Life Pray God Ritual

Consumption: 500 Spiritual Energy Points per second

Effect: Increases the internal life energy of the equipped warship by 200%, moderately extending the Captain's lifespan.

No need for charging or buffering

...

{Life Pray God Ritual: Consume 50,000,000 Spiritual Energy Points, and at the cost of completely shattering this component, gather the life energy of three Ninth-Rank Life Floating Continents of equal or lower rank to assist the equipped warship in its Ascension. This can additionally increase the Ascension success rate by 20%!}

Although they had seen this component's attributes many times over the past few millennia, each time still left them in awe.

An additional 20% Ascension success rate might not seem like much, but one must understand that this is the success rate for a Ninth-Rank entity ascending to the mythic realm. Typically, even an entity that has prepared for hundreds of thousands of years would find it difficult to surpass this success rate.

Now, a single component can provide such an additional success rate, making it clear just how astonishing the value of this Life Pray God Ritual component is.

Unfortunately, this component is a one-time use item. Once used, it will immediately shatter, and other Hyperdimensional Motherships will not have the fortune to experience this divine effect.

After they looked away from the attribute screenshot, the four individuals—Ying Huang, Ji Huang, Sheng Huang, and Long Ge—exchanged glances and finally came to a decision.

"Let's use the Demon Serpent, Black Serpent, and Feeding Serpent Floating Continents. However, the territory on the Demon God Floating Continent must be evenly divided among the four of us!"

After speaking, the three individuals did not say another word, waiting for Jiang Yuan's final response.

According to the original distribution, aside from the designated Public Open Area, the remaining territory of the Demon God Floating Continent after its Ascension to a Star Continent would naturally be occupied mostly by the Jiang family. The new condition, however, would change this to an equal division among the four parties.

Faced with this demand, Jiang Yuan merely pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Eighty percent of the Floating Continent's Source Core far exceeds the self-repair limit of a stellar floating continent. Although it won't cause immediate collapse, it will virtually eliminate any further potential for advancement, and even the Floating Continent's inherent resources and production will be affected.

Given this, it is natural to provide corresponding compensation to the other three parties.

With this point agreed upon, there were no further issues, and the five individuals quickly began discussing more detailed division plans.

Extracting the Source Core essence of three Ninth-Rank Floating Continents is no easy task. If the Divine Summer Jiuli were to handle it alone, it could take thousands of years. However, with everyone working together, this time can be compressed to just a few centuries.

In the end, each person would be responsible for the Floating Continent they currently occupy. For example, Ying Huang would be in charge of extracting the Source Core essence from the Demon Serpent Floating Continent.

Aside from Ying Huang, Ji Huang, and Sheng Huang, Jiang Yi would temporarily oversee the Human Emperor City. As for other battlefronts, they would have to dispatch one or more Ninth-Rank enslaved beings to guard them.

In this situation, the battle lines might be impacted, and even some regions could fall, as the combat power of ordinary enslaved beings cannot be compared to that of a Hyperdimensional Mothership, despite all being Ninth-Rank Sovereigns.

All parties had already made the necessary emergency preparations.

After discussing these matters, before lifting the highly confidential sealed space, Jiang Yi finally asked the question.

"Ancestor Yuan, considering all preparations and contingencies, what are the chances of the Divine Summer Jiuli's successful Ascension this time?"

As soon as the words were out, the attention of the four people around him immediately converged. This was also what the other three had been wondering.

Jiang Yuan did not hide anything and answered truthfully:

"By combining the primordial energy tide from the ascension of the Demon God Floating Continent, the Life Pray God Ritual, a special resource formula, and all the additional ascension resources I have, the success rate should be over fifty percent."

Hearing this answer, the four people felt a bit more at ease. A success rate of over fifty percent for ascension, for beings striving to reach the Mythical Rank, was already an astonishing figure.

However, despite this, they still felt more tension and worry.

As the undisputed strongest conventional combatant of the Ember Human Civilization, even with meticulous preparation, and even if the Divine Summer Jiuli would still exist in case of a failed ascension, it would still take a long time to recover peak combat strength.

Even with such a significantly reduced cost, if this outcome truly came to pass, the entire Ember Flame Civilization would still be greatly affected.

Billions, even trillions, of ember citizens would suffer immense turmoil.

...

Time flew by, and it had been several decades since the post-war division conference ended.

In the territory of the Ember Flame Civilization, at the border between the Ember Human Galaxy Cluster and the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon Galaxy Cluster.

In the dark expanse of space, thousands of large standard "Kunpeng-Class" starships were shuttling through the spatial tunnel.

Starship communication channel:

"Old He, how about it, are you planning to continue this round?"

"Of course! We’re just getting started. The Dragon Spine Kingdom has just been established, and the Song Family is now actively calling on citizens to participate in the second round of interstellar migration. The rewards for each transport are much better than before. If we don’t take advantage of this opportunity to save up more money, where will we find regret pills after the golden period is over?"

"Not that exaggerated. I heard that the wormhole tunnel leads to another galaxy, with a diameter exceeding 1.2 million light-years. According to my cousin, who is an escort ship captain, this migration plan will last for at least a few centuries."

Upon hearing this, the man called Old He, sitting in an old "Kunpeng" transport starship, frowned and seemed to seriously consider the matter.

He knew about the cousin his old friend was referring to, a significant figure at the escort ship captain level. Even the big boss who organized their joint transport fleet would personally come over to greet him whenever they met.

So, in his view, this information was highly credible.

"Brother Long, are you sure you didn’t hear it wrong?"

"What are you talking about? Don’t you know who I am, Old He?"

"Also, I heard that the Song Family implemented several preferential policies a few years ago, including incentives for those who voluntarily settle in the Dragon Serpent Galaxy. They not only provide jobs but also offer public education for the children of settlers once they reach a certain age, ensuring they receive the best education."

"Let me tell you, Old He, why don’t you be more proactive and propose to Qian? Then apply to immigrate to the Dragon Serpent Galaxy. This way, it won’t affect your work, and it will provide a good learning opportunity for your future children. If your descendants are outstanding, by the time this major migration phase ends, there might be a new Ember He Family in the Dragon Serpent Galaxy."

...

Hearing this, the middle-aged man called Old He’s eyes flickered, clearly taking the advice to heart.

They continued to chat for a while, and finally, Old He firmly said:

"Alright, I’ll propose to Qian when I get back, and then we’ll immigrate to the Dragon Serpent Galaxy. But Brother Long, do you have any special connections? Give me a heads up."

"That’s easy, leave it to me..."

After their exchange, the man called Brother Long cut off the communication. The moment the connection was severed, his expression relaxed.

"Twenty-fifth household, done. And from the glint in the eyes of the other dozen or so people in the group chat, there might be more unexpected gains."

As he spoke, he used his quantum communication bracelet to send a task completion message to the most advanced Kunpeng transport ship at the forefront of the transport fleet.

In reality, all of this was part of the Song Family’s covert strategy. Whether it was him, the big boss who organized the transport fleet, or his cousin, they were all part of the secret plan. The target was not just the people in the current fleet but also the thousands of Dragon Spine Kingdom citizens with whom the fleet had business dealings.

In recent years, the Song Family had mobilized millions of people like them.

As for why they were doing this, it was to better and more quickly develop the entire Dragon Serpent Galaxy.

To be fair, the Song Family could develop a galaxy with a diameter of nearly 1.3 million light-years on their own, but it would take tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years, which was far too inefficient.

Considering that the entire Ember Human Civilization had only developed for a little over 300,000 years, this was absolutely not a viable option for a thriving large-scale force.

Relatively speaking, it was better to let go of a small portion of insignificant benefits to drive the entire kingdom’s citizens to develop together, with the Song Family reaping the lion’s share of the benefits. This was the most perfect way.

Of course, the Song Family had always been firmly adhering to this development method.

However, due to the direct acquisition of an entire medium to large galaxy, mere policy guidance was far from enough. Therefore, the Song Family had to further send people to covertly push things forward.

However, over the past few decades, the results have been quite impressive.

Apart from the nearly one billion Song Family members who immigrated, the kingdom’s citizen count has surpassed a trillion. Although this is still a drop in the bucket for a galaxy spanning over 1.2 million light-years, the progress is undeniable.

In the eyes of the Song Family leadership, it will only take a few more centuries for the entire Dragon Serpent Galaxy to be fully revitalized.

In the Red Disk Galaxy, within the Dragon Spine Kingdom, on the Dragon Spine Continent.

It has been twenty years since the Dragon Spine Song Family, led by the Chitiger Luo Clan, established the Dragon Spine Kingdom in the Red Disk Galaxy and the Dragon Serpent Galaxy.

Over these twenty years, the name of the Song Family has spread throughout the entire Ember Human Civilization.

However, the primary reason for this isn’t the kingdom itself. Over the past few decades, the four empires and the Xinfu Ancestral Court have received numerous applications for the establishment of new kingdoms and the elevation of duchies.

According to rough estimates, in the less than a century since the end of the Civilization War, the number of kingdoms in the Ember Human Civilization has surged from just over a hundred to 160. It’s easy to imagine that this number will continue to rise over the next thousand or even several thousand years.

Among these newly established kingdoms, the Song Family should not stand out too much. However, the reason for their prominence lies in the significant contributions the Song Family has made.

The super reward they received a few decades ago shocked countless individuals and forces. Combined with the attention they received for their opportunistic actions, these factors have led to their current status.

…

At the Dragon Spine Continent, atop the Dragon Spine Divine Mountain, in the Dragon Whale Hall.

Deep within the chaotic mist, several figures sat on star thrones and golden thrones.

From their silhouettes, it was clear that, apart from Song Shiyuan at the head of the hall, the others were projections, not their actual physical forms.

However, this did not hinder their current discussion.

"Here’s the current situation in the Dragon Serpent Galaxy. Any suggestions?"

"The immigration speed is still too slow. Can we accelerate it further?"

"Unfortunately, that’s not feasible. After the migration to the Dragon Spine Continent, we have been actively promoting a population growth plan throughout the Red Disk Galaxy. However, these are all new life-floating continents, unlike the life-floating continents of the Dawn Star Kingdom, which have been modified for hundreds or even thousands of years. Due to various reasons, the mortality rate among the immigrant citizens of the Ember Human Civilization is relatively high. To date, the population of the Red Disk Galaxy has only just surpassed a trillion."

"This is the maximum immigration speed we can maintain while ensuring the effective growth of the population base in the Red Disk Galaxy. Increasing the immigration rate further would lead to a decline in the population."

"What about our Song Family members? The Dragon Serpent Galaxy is vast. How can just a billion family members suffice?"

"Didn’t the clan already issue an order to increase the population base after we incorporated the Red Disk Galaxy?"

"At the time, we didn’t expect to gain an entire galaxy, so we only increased the population base from one billion to two billion. Now, we have already immigrated half of our clan members."

Hearing this, Song Wujian, seated on the central star throne, spoke:

"Two galaxies, and the Dragon Serpent Galaxy is nominally entirely under our control. Even if we only occupy the most prosperous regions of the Dragon Serpent Galaxy, which span about 600,000 to 700,000 light-years, two billion clan members are far from enough. Let’s increase the population base limit from two billion to six billion."

"Agreed, I will issue the orders immediately. With the current population base of two billion, it shouldn’t take long to reach six billion!"

"Additionally, the number of kingdom citizens is still far from sufficient. The Red Disk Galaxy can easily support tens of trillions of citizens. Only with a larger population base can the kingdom generate more wealth."

…

After discussing the Red Disk Galaxy and the Dragon Serpent Galaxy, the conversation shifted to the other multiple galaxies within the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon Galaxy Cluster.

Song Shiyuan said:

"Through negotiations with the other Eternal Clans over the years, we have transferred all the territories we sporadically occupied in other galaxies to the Copper Serpent and Spirit Serpent Galaxies."

"The Copper Serpent Galaxy is home to the Mist Swamp and the Mist Half-Serpents, while the Spirit Serpent Galaxy is where the Young Serpent Floating Continent is located. We have occupied a 30,000 light-year region in the Copper Serpent Galaxy and a larger region exceeding 100,000 light-years in the Spirit Serpent Galaxy."

"Additionally, during this exchange, we have secured several plots of land on the capital floating continents of six galaxies. The dominant forces in those galaxies have agreed to incorporate these lands into public open areas, allowing us to build trade cities and gain more benefits."

...

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Amid the ongoing chatter in the Dragon Whale Hall, a deep, rumbling engine sound suddenly echoed from outside. As the sound faded, a figure soon cut through the chaotic mist and entered the field of vision of those in the hall.

Recognizing the newcomer, Song Chi's ethereal projection laughed, "Hahaha, Big Brother, did you reach an agreement?"

Hearing his laughter, Song Yan, who had just entered the hall, shook his head helplessly, "What agreement? We haven't even met yet."

Song Chi's laughter grew louder at this.

In fact, he could deeply relate, as he had been equally troubled by this matter for the past few decades, not just Song Yan. Over the years, representatives from various established immortal factions had been constantly paying visits.

The Captains who came had two main purposes: either to discuss the construction of the artificial wormhole with the Song Family or to propose marriage alliances.

The most popular among them was naturally Song Yan. As the only one of the four current Star Annihilator Captains of the Dragon Spine Song Family who was still unmarried, the majority of the immortal factions that came to inquire were interested in his thoughts, including some major immortal powerhouses.

Apart from Song Yan, there was also Song Chi.

Initially, Song Chi thought that since he was already married, he wouldn't have to deal with this nuisance. However, the immortal factions were well aware of the true potential of the Dragon Spine Song Family. Despite Song Chi's repeated rejections citing his marital status, these factions began to find alternative ways to achieve their goals.

"We hear that the Lord of the Vast Skies' sister is a woman of great virtue and talent, known as a daughter of heaven. The Immortal Qin Xiang Clan is interested in..."

"During the Civilization War, my great-nephew's daughter fought alongside the Lord of the Vast Skies' heir, and they shared life and death together..."

Over the years, Song Chi had heard such statements repeatedly, which had become a major annoyance. In the end, he could only use the excuse of seclusion to avoid these troubles.

Initially, he had some interest. After all, Song Ting's age was a factor, and if there was a real opportunity, he, as her brother, would naturally want to find her a good husband. However, when he proactively asked for her opinion, the normally composed Song Ting reacted with an unexpected intensity.

As for Song Hanyu, he was also not interested in marriage for the time being, so the matter had to be put on hold.

...

"Xiaoyan, even the Ancestor doesn't want to force you on this, but it is indeed time for you to consider it. Once you break through to the eighth stage of the Guidance Technique, the chances of conceiving will be much lower!"

"I understand, Ancestor, please rest assured!"

Perhaps unwilling to dwell on the topic, Song Yan quickly changed the subject, "By the way, the Ship Clone components on the Blazing Sea Cooker have cooled down. Should we continue collecting the time energy?"

Song Shiyuan nodded quickly, "Of course. I checked the [Sky Devouring Python's Molt] a few days ago, and its devouring progress has reached 89%. It's not far from a complete transformation, so we need to push forward with all our might."

"Alright, we'll get ready and have Xiaochi send us over again. Over the past few decades, the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon teams have attempted to explore this restricted area multiple times but have struggled to even enter the periphery. They shouldn't be a problem for a while."

Compared to Song Wujian and the others, Song Chi had never given up exploring the Time River Ruins over the past few decades.

The evolution of the [Time Chessboard] required a large amount of [Source of Time]. Over the years, he had conducted a thorough exploration of the Time River Ruins, naturally scavenging a significant amount of [Source of Time], although it was still far from enough to fully transform the [Time Chessboard].

Over the years, he had discovered a pattern: the faster the time flow in a region, the higher the chance of finding [Source of Time], and vice versa. Based on this, he had largely abandoned the exploration of the peripheral areas, saving him a considerable amount of time. Over the years, he had almost reached the core of the Time River Ruins.

"Let's complete the exploration of the remaining core area in one go. Hopefully, it will bring me some surprises..."

After sending the Ancestor and the others back to the area where they had previously collected time energy and summoning the Ship Clone, the three immediately returned to the Market of All Heavens to begin another round of time energy collection.

As for Song Chi, his mirror warship had been stationed deep within the Time River Ruins all along, and he could continue from where he left off.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Through mental control, the mirror warship's engines activated, and he began a new round of exploration.

However, he could already clearly hear the intermittent sounds from the engines, a clear sign of severe damage.

Even with the existence of the replicated [Time Chessboard], the mirror warship had still inevitably suffered irreversible time erosion. After all, the time flow in the deepest part of the Time River Ruins was already millions of times faster than the outside world.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end