https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-751-Flameheart-Star-Annihilation-Overall-Rankings/13463313/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-753-Old-Acquaintances-and-Rank-Breaking/13463315/
Chapter 752: Ninth-Tier Essence Energy Tide
Chapter 752: Ninth-Tier Essence Energy Tide
However, these were clearly not the main reasons.
Given the current state of the Spine Dragon Clan Song, could they really not provide a full set of red components?
The key was the additional terms in the offer.
"Add a fourth-tier Moonspring and a high-quality Lifefruit."
Upon hearing this, the breaths of not only the civilian Huntship Captain in front but also the representatives of several prestigious factions beside Song Chi became noticeably heavier.
There was no need to explain the Moonspring. Not only could it extend one's lifespan, but it could also avoid the lengthy buffer period for a new Ember Seed if an Ember Captain's vessel failed to ascend. Given its rarity, its value had always been high.
As for the high-quality Lifefruit, its value was even more astonishing.
Produced by the Life Ancient Tree, each Lifefruit contained extremely potent life energy. Whether used for healing or extending life, it was considered a holy item.
The fact that the offer was for a high-quality Lifefruit was even more significant. For carbon-based life forms below the sixth tier, it could extend their lifespan by a thousand years.
An item of this level, capable of such longevity, would be worth no less than a top-quality silver component.
A fourth-tier Moonspring and a high-quality Lifefruit—this offer clearly aimed to capitalize on the civilian Huntship Captain's limited potential and lack of confidence.
These two resources could fully support a second attempt at ascension, even if the first attempt at becoming a Battleship failed, providing ample time to start over.
Faced with such temptation, how could an ordinary civilian Captain resist?
Song Chi turned his gaze to the bidder.
The seventh-tier life aura emanating from the bidder silently attested to their extraordinary status.
Song Chi had been in seclusion for nearly three centuries, and this person did not seem to be from the Xian Qin Divine Dynasty, so he could not identify them.
"Ancestor Chi, this is a member of the Gong family from the Chiyu Divine Dynasty."
Upon hearing this, the miniature Skygale of Tianxu in Song Chi's forehead, with the immense computational power of its skybrain, quickly relayed a large amount of relevant information.
The Gong family, an immortal powerhouse clan in the Chiyu Divine Dynasty, had a lineage spanning over 80,000 years. On their ancestral land stood an eighth-tier Life Ancient Tree. Their currently known peak forces were as follows:
One Galactic Captain
Three Star Annihilation Captains
And an eighth-tier enslaved creature—the Voidsea Flame Phoenix
Even just from the forces they openly displayed, the Gong family's influence was astounding. However, that was only to others.
Song Chi was not particularly concerned.
Not to mention that the Skygale of Tianxu's current combat power was no less than that of any ordinary Galactic Ship, and the Asura Emperor, who had recently crossed into the semi-ninth tier, provided the Song Family with ample confidence.
Moreover, the Skygale of Tianxu was already preparing to ascend to the Galactic Ship level. Once it succeeded, the Spine Dragon Clan Song and the Spine Dragon Kingdom would immediately rise to the top tier of immortal powerhouses.
At that point, what would the Gong family be?
Withdrawing his gaze, Song Chi spoke without hesitation.
"Along with the previous offer, I will add a full set of red components and a fourth-tier Timefruit."
This fourth-tier Timefruit was the key factor that would tip the balance in the civilian Huntship Captain's mind. Although others continued to bid reluctantly, none of them managed to sway him further.
A fourth-tier Timefruit represented a second chance for a Huntship during ascension. Compared to the Moonspring, which required a significant investment of resources to start over, the Timefruit's effect was much more potent. Not to mention, Song Chi also offered a sixth-tier Mist Half-Snake.
Song Chi had already explained the auxiliary effects of the sixth-tier Mist Half-Snake. Even if the Captain's vessel failed to ascend, the Mist Half-Snake would still give him a chance to reach the fifth-tier Guidance Technique.
If he were lucky enough to become a Battleship Captain, he could even glimpse the sixth-tier Guidance Technique.
"It's over. I didn't expect it to be His Excellency Song Chi of the Spine Dragon Clan Song, who ranks twentieth on the Ember Star Annihilation Leaderboard. He's a formidable figure."
"But it makes sense. Although he has only recently ascended, anyone who can reach the Ember Star Annihilation Leaderboard must have pushed their Star Annihilation Ship to its limits."
"Rumor has it that His Excellency Lord of the Vast Skies is not even three thousand years old!"
As the transaction finally concluded, Song Chi successfully obtained the Law Source Core, and the surrounding area once again buzzed with various discussions.
However, this time it was different. Everyone had already assumed that the visitor was the Vast Skies Lord of the Dragon Spine Song Family.
They simply couldn't think of anyone else from the Song Family, besides the Vast Skies Lord ranked twentieth on the Ember Star Annihilation Leaderboard, who could have the great Edmund Aclamont personally greet them.
Having secured what he wanted, Song Chi was in a good mood and paid no attention to the chatter. Instead, he turned and left immediately.
He had other important matters to attend to.
When he had previously responded to the Qin Yue Merchant Tower, they had provided a specific time for the operation.
Perhaps because gathering the necessary people wasn't going smoothly, they explicitly stated that the operation would be delayed by another ten years. Ten years from now, regardless of the number of people gathered, the operation would definitely proceed.
Song Chi not only didn't mind this, but he was secretly pleased.
Due to the urgency of time, one of the preparations he had planned was delayed for a special reason, and he had thought it would be impossible to catch up. Now that the operation was delayed by another ten years, it gave him the perfect opportunity to complete this preparation.
Time flew by, and before he knew it, half a month had passed.
On the Demon God Floating Continent.
After completing the transaction, Song Chi didn't rush to leave this super Floating Continent. Instead, he waited at a transit fragment base outside the Floating Continent.
On this day, while quietly docked outside the first fragment transit base, the Skygale of Tianxu received a communication request from the outside.
As soon as he connected the call, a respectful voice came through the channel.
"Lord, the transmission to the Shenxia Continent you booked is now ready. The transmission will start in half an hour."
"Very well!"
...
Shortly after the communication ended, the engines of the Skygale of Tianxu roared to life, and the warship descended directly toward the center of the first fragment transit base.
Before the Skygale of Tianxu, numerous other warships were already lined up on the transmission array, all preparing to return to the Shenxia Empire.
As one of the few top forces in the Ember Human Civilization, the Shenxia Clan Jiang wouldn't lack the means for long-distance transmission.
According to Song Chi, the transmission array below was called the Transcendent Realm Cross-Dimensional Array, a technology derived from the ancient Transcendent Realm civilization.
From the known information, this Transcendent Realm Cross-Dimensional Array could easily transmit over a billion light-years, and there were even unverified reports of it transmitting tens of billions of light-years in a single go. Even without confirmation, it was undoubtedly a strategic-level transmission method.
Of course, it still fell short of the Spatial Wormhole Generator, a marvel of the Star Sea. Even without Song Chi modifying it with the Artifact Source Improvement Platform, the current longest connection distance of the Spatial Wormhole Generator was three billion light-years.
However, the Spatial Wormhole Generator wasn't without its drawbacks. It could only maintain up to 50 spatial wormholes at a time; any more, and the additional wormholes would collapse on their own.
This was something Song Chi and his people had only discovered a century ago, when the number of spatial wormholes their family had opened reached the limit.
As a result, they were forced to terminate agreements with some factions that had previously agreed to open new wormholes, which caused considerable complaints.
If not for this, wouldn't there be spatial wormholes connecting the Demon God and Demon Deity Floating Continents? Even the Octopus Demon Star Cluster and the Ember Human Galaxy Cluster would have numerous connecting wormholes.
However, over the past three centuries, the senior members of the Four Heavenly Pillar Imperial Clans had personally discussed this matter multiple times. In the future, the Song Family would actively eliminate some unnecessary spatial wormholes to focus on the development of the entire civilization.
Of course, the revenue generated from all these spatial wormholes would include a share for the Song Family, ensuring they wouldn't be at a disadvantage.
The diameter of the Transcendent Realm Cross-Dimensional Array wasn't large, but as the nearly two-thousand-kilometer-long Skygale of Tianxu entered its range, a powerful spatial force enveloped it.
Under the influence of this mysterious spatial force, the hull of the Skygale of Tianxu began to rapidly contract.
It wasn’t just the Skygale of Tianxu; every Ember Warship that entered the range of the Transcendent Realm Cross-Dimensional Array was the same. This allowed the array, despite its relatively small size, to teleport a significant number of warships at once.
Half an hour later, boundless white light spread across the teleportation platform. The spirit stones laid on the platform were rapidly drained of their energy.
Whoosh!
A pillar of white light shot skyward, illuminating the surrounding starfield, and powerful spatial fluctuations spread outward.
When all the commotion subsided, over six hundred Ember Warships, which had been hovering quietly above the teleportation array, had vanished without a trace.
At the same time, eight billion light-years away, in the capital of the Shenxia Empire, which was situated outside the peak ninth-tier Shenxia Continent, the imperial relay station experienced a strong spatial tremor that affected the entire massive facility. As the spatial fluctuations dissipated, tens of thousands of Ember Warships appeared in the sky above the central teleportation platform.
Witnessing this, the countless starships passing by were unsurprised. In the three hundred years since the end of the Civilization War, such occurrences were no longer rare. Most Captains had grown accustomed to it.
...
“Halt! You are approaching the capital of the Shenxia Empire, the Shenxia Continent. Please present your identification!”
As the most popular Floating Continent in the Ember Human Civilization over the past several hundred thousand years, the Shenxia Continent saw an uncountable number of ships passing through daily. Consequently, the Tianzhu Clan Jiang had established a comprehensive management system.
The most basic requirement was that all warships entering the Shenxia Continent had to register their identities.
Only by doing so could the internal order of the Floating Continent be maintained.
“I am Song Chi from the Dragon Spine Kingdom under the Xian Qin Divine Dynasty. I am here to visit the Shenxia Ember Ancestral Court.”
Once Song Chi’s identity was confirmed, the Shenxia Imperial Guard Fleet did not obstruct him and respectfully allowed him to pass.
The prestige of the Ember Star Annihilation Leaderboard was evident even here.
...
The Shenxia Ember Ancestral Court, as the highest-ranking among the four major Ember Ancestral Courts of the Ember Human Civilization, was responsible for all the awards the Song Family had won on the battlefield during the Civilization War.
Song Chi was here to claim one of the slots for bathing in the ninth-tier Floating Continent’s essence energy tide.
When the Civilization War ended, the Song Family had been granted three opportunities to bathe in the ninth-tier Floating Continent’s essence energy tide. Over the past three hundred years, they had not used any of them. This visit was to activate the first one.
Surrounded by the Chaotic Fog, pillars emitting starlight supported the sky filled with countless stars. Walking through the grand hall of the first ancestral court of the Ember Flame Civilization, a deep sense of reverence welled up within Song Chi’s heart.
Until he saw a familiar figure.
“Greetings, Lord. I am Song Chi from the Dragon Spine Kingdom. I applied for a slot to bathe in the ninth-tier essence energy tide eight years ago. May I ask about the progress of my application?”
Song Chi had come to the Shenxia Continent once before, when he decided to participate in the operation against the ancient queen of the Star Sea insectoids.
The purpose was to apply for the first opportunity to bathe in the ninth-tier Floating Continent’s essence energy tide.
This opportunity was not for himself but for the Asura Emperor, who had already reached the half-ninth-tier stage.
Helping the Asura Emperor truly ascend to the ninth-tier was a crucial part of his preparation for the operation against the ancient queen of the Star Sea insectoids.
Given the significant risk of the operation, what could be more reassuring than having a ninth-tier enslaved creature by his side?
The Asura Emperor had already reached the half-ninth-tier stage, and this plan naturally came to fruition.
However, while the Song Family had three slots for bathing in the ninth-tier Floating Continent’s essence energy tide, the transition from an eighth-tier to a ninth-tier Floating Continent was not something that could be decided by outsiders.
To truly undergo the ninth-tier energy tide, it depended on the specific state of the eighth-tier Floating Continent under the jurisdiction of the four major empires. Only when the conditions were ripe would the Ascension be truly initiated. Otherwise, forcing the Ascension would only increase the risks and could even lead to a failed Ascension.
The last time he came, the person responsible for liaising with him was the very same elder before him now.
This was an extremely old man, his body somewhat bent. When Song Chi first met him, he was a bit puzzled as to why someone with a seventh-tier life level would be in such a state.
After all, even fourth or fifth-tier beings could fully control the blood and qi within their bodies. Unless they were truly at the end of their lives, their qi and blood would not go out of control, let alone a seventh-tier being.
However, after some understanding, he realized his confusion was somewhat naive.
Since the establishment of the four Ember Ancestral Courts, the members they recruited were always those veteran Captains who had survived endless wars.
These Captains had all stood at the forefront of countless battles during the expansion and development of the Ember Flame Civilization. In the end, their ships sank, and they barely managed to survive, gasping for breath.
Even among these survivors, there were those who had suffered severe injuries that even the highest-quality repair chamber components could not fully heal.
The elder before him was most likely one of them.
Moreover, Song Chi noticed that this seventh-tier life-level elder not only had a bent form but also a startling scar on his forehead.
If his guess was correct, the elder's Ember Ancestral Point had most likely completely collapsed.
Despite this, he had still managed to survive, a testament to his incredible luck. However, it also highlighted the brutal nature of the battles he had endured.
The elder gave Song Chi a brief glance, noticing that his hands were empty. His face turned stern, and without a word, he closed his eyes again, appearing as if he were in deep meditation.
Understanding the elder's meaning, Song Chi smiled lightly and quickly patted his side, producing several items.
Seemingly sensing the subtle spatial fluctuations, the elder, who had his eyes tightly shut, suddenly opened one eye to take a look.
"Authentic silver-quality spirit spring water, ten-thousand-year-old monkey wine from the Star Sea Great Apes, and half a pound of Green Hill Guild's unique Greenhill Cloud Mist tea. Good boy, you know the way!"
The elder, who had been seemingly indifferent a moment ago, quickly stood up, his eyes fixed on the three items floating before him.
For someone who was already crippled, these delicacies were far more attractive than anything else.
After familiarly putting away the items, the elder quickly projected a special light screen.
The content on the screen was brief, but it was exactly what Song Chi wanted to see.
[Year 2945 of the 30th session of the Ember Calendar, Ember Human Galaxy Cluster, Chiyu Divine Dynasty's Dantai Star System, the Copper Red Continent will officially advance to the ninth tier.]
"Thank you, Elder Chong!"
Scanning the screen, Song Chi instantly understood.
Year 2945 of the Ember Calendar, it was now 2940, meaning he needed to reach the Dantai Star System's Copper Red Continent within five years.
"This is the essence quota voucher. Alright, don't disturb this old man's peace anymore. Hurry up and go!"
Under the elder's impatient urging, Song Chi quickly left the hall.
He paid no mind to the elder's attitude, knowing that the elder was afraid he would delay.
After all, the Chiyu Divine Dynasty was far from the Shenxia Empire. Without some skills, reaching there within five years would not be easy.
However, with the two premium jump components, the spatial jumper and the Crimson Sky Warp Device, Song Chi had nothing to worry about.
After leaving the Shenxia Ember Ancestral Court, the Skygale of Tianxu was immediately summoned. A streak of light tore through the sky, racing out of the Floating Continent.
Transferring control of the warship to the skybrain and instructing it to head to the Chiyu Divine Dynasty as quickly as possible, Song Chi entered the Pantheon Market to continue practicing the Guidance Technique during the journey.
However, before he entered seclusion, he made a decision.
"It seems I still need to report to the Xian Qin Ember Ancestral Court!"
He was actually reluctant to do this voluntarily. Otherwise, he would have had the time to visit Xian Qin Continent during his tenure as the Star Annihilation Captain.
But it seemed there was no other way; he had to report to the authorities.
Even though his existence was already known to most of the high-ranking officials of the four empires, the process of reporting and registration still required the Captain himself to make the trip.
(End of Chapter)
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