Chapter 757: Making a Move
Chapter 757: Making a Move
After the words were spoken, dozens of warships in the starry sky quickly responded.
More than forty Annihilator Ships rapidly opened their hatches, and figures darted out from within.
These figures were not enslaved creatures but the Captains of the respective ships themselves. As they leaped out, the forty-plus Annihilator Ships behind them began to rapidly shrink, transforming into miniature forms and being absorbed into the Ember Ancestral Aperture.
All of this happened in a flash. The number of warships in the dark expanse of space immediately dwindled to a mere dozen or so. Apart from the three Galactic Ships that the Annihilator Ship Captains were rushing toward, only nine Annihilator Ships remained.
Among them were the Skygale of Tianxu mirror-image warships and other high-tier Annihilator Ships.
These nine Annihilator Ships, without a doubt, were extremely confident in their ships' concealment capabilities. With the additional boost from group concealment components, their massive hulls quickly vanished into the starry sky.
Seeing this, the three Galactic Ship Captains exchanged glances but did not interfere, showing their trust in Song Chi and his team of nine.
Whoosh—
In the center of the three Galactic Ships, the hatch of the Four Seas Divine Ying opened, and a figure quickly darted out.
However, this time it was not Ying Kuang himself, but a seventh-rank Goldcleaver.
After emerging from the ship, the Goldcleaver's wings suddenly flapped. With the power of its flesh wings, which carried threads of primal spatial energy, the Goldcleaver's body, which had just returned to its normal size, quickly vanished into the depths of the void.
Ying Kuang then sent a mental command, and the Goldcleaver, no longer restrained, flickered in and out of existence as it darted away into the distance.
The three Galactic Ships, after all the Annihilator Ship Captains had boarded, also swiftly vanished into the starry sky.
...
As one of the star beasts, Goldcleavers, though their bloodline potential ranks only in the middle to lower tier among star beasts, are rare dual-attribute beasts with a natural affinity for both metal and space.
This allows them to excel not only in powerful attacks but also in speed, outpacing most other creatures of the same rank.
However, this does not include the Starsea insectoids, or more specifically, the Winged Sovereign Bugs.
Moreover, the one pursuing them now was an eighth-rank Winged Sovereign Bug.
...
Less than twenty minutes after the Goldcleaver was released, a message from Ying Kuang appeared in the internal communication channel of the fleet.
"The connection with the Goldcleaver has been completely severed!"
Upon hearing this, no one in the channel spoke, but all the Captains understood the implications.
There are only three reasons for a connection with an enslaved creature to be severed:
1. The distance between them is too great.
2. The enslaved creature has ascended or experienced a significant surge in mental power, breaking free from the enslavement mark.
3. The enslaved creature is dead.
The first two reasons were clearly not feasible in such a short time.
So, the only possible outcome was the third.
The Goldcleaver was dead.
...
Deep within the core of the Yellow Sand Continent.
The eighth-rank Winged Sovereign Bug Mo Ran returned, accompanied by the corpse of a massive star beast.
In the center of the space, the Ancient Empress, with her upper body exuding a seductive charm, opened her eyes. Her hazy gaze fell upon the Goldcleaver's body, which was nearly cut in half.
The eighth-rank Winged Sovereign Bug had expected praise from the Empress, but the reality was quite the opposite.
"A seventh-rank Goldcleaver? Its spatial talent can indeed support long-distance spatial travel, but there has never been any news of a large Goldcleaver population in this vast star region!"
"Mo Ran, tell me in detail about the pursuit of this Goldcleaver."
"Yes, my Empress..."
After the eighth-rank Winged Sovereign Bug finished speaking, the Ancient Empress pondered for a moment. On the surface, there seemed to be nothing unusual about what the Winged Sovereign Bug had said, but she still felt something was off.
She was currently at the final stage of stabilizing her power. Out of caution, the purple crystal tentacles on her head began to rapidly sway, emitting high-frequency sound waves. In the next second, these sound waves shot upward through the layers of rock and sand, piercing the sky above the Yellow Sand Floating Continent.
This high-frequency sound wave was a special communication method used among the Starsea insectoid queens, mothers, and empresses. This time, the Ancient Empress was contacting another Ancient Empress who was an ally.
This action meant she would have to pay a significant amount of pure energy as a reward for the other's assistance, but the Ancient Empress did not regret it.
To have come this far from a mere insect queen, she knew the value of caution.
Compared to the vast resources required for a smooth ascension to the ninth rank, the cost was negligible. Once she successfully stabilized her current power, she could easily gather the necessary resources to nurture a ninth-rank Sovereign Bug in the future.
However, just as the high-frequency sound wave was about to breach the sky of the Yellow Sand Floating Continent, it was suddenly blocked.
"Hisss!!!"
The Ancient Empress, sensing the danger, immediately emitted a sharp hiss.
The sharp hiss swept through the Core Space, and all the insectoids, as if receiving the highest priority command, abandoned their tasks and surged toward the Ancient Empress.
This was not the end. The hiss continued to spread through the tunnels, reaching the surface.
While the Core Space was not small, it was insignificant compared to the entire eighth-rank Floating Continent. Even though most of the continent was already desolate, the number of insectoids on the surface far exceeded those in the Core Space.
Only by summoning all the surface insectoids could the Ancient Empress ensure her maximum safety.
Unfortunately, despite his good intentions and swift actions, the dozens of Flame-Ember Starships that had been fully charged and ready above the Floating Continent were clearly faster.
Thanks to the special unlocking effect of the Flame-Ember Starship crew certification component inside the Four Seas Divine Ying, they had already restored their fleet from twelve to fifty-five ships several minutes ago. Now, the fifty-five Flame-Ember Starships opened fire simultaneously, sending countless terrifying beams downward toward the sandy Floating Continent.
Most of their attack targets were the entrances to the tunnels leading deep into the core. In an instant, dozens of beams penetrated the wide tunnel entrances, causing horrific energy explosions both inside and outside the tunnels, even within the Core Space deep below.
Even from the sky above the Floating Continent, the fleet captains, who were still at a considerable distance from the surface, could faintly hear the distant wails.
These were the cries of countless bugs enduring excruciating pain from the energy explosions. Meanwhile, the two Annihilator Ship captains who had already initiated their ship Ascension tasks received continuous updates about the increasing success rates of their Ascensions.
These two Annihilator Ships were among the nine that had not been recalled earlier.
They chose to initiate the Ascension tasks at this moment not only because they had reached the limits of the Annihilator Ship stage but also because the Ascension process for an Annihilator Ship to a Galaxy Ship would take a century, giving them ample time to prepare.
Even if the number of bugs they killed this time was insufficient, they would have plenty of time to prepare further.
...
"Those with secondary firing capabilities, continue to fire. The rest of the ships, temporarily focus on clearing the bugs converging from other areas of the Floating Continent!"
Ying Kuang's orders remained clear, unaffected by the current situation.
Although the bugs on the surface of the Floating Continent had not yet received the Ancient Empress's call, the dense barrage of firepower had naturally alarmed them. They were now frantically rushing toward the entrance to the core's bug nest.
If left unchecked, this would only increase the difficulty of killing the Ancient Empress later. Therefore, Ying Kuang immediately ordered the ships that could not immediately reactivate their main cannons to intercept the bugs.
Nearly thirty Annihilator Ships swooped down, and about twenty of them opened their hatches mid-flight, releasing anywhere from a few to hundreds or even thousands of enslaved creatures. Once they reached their peak size, they charged at the bug swarms they had locked onto.
Among these enslaved creatures were several Seventh-Rank Dominators. With their leadership, and the support from the Flame-Ember Starships above, the bug swarms were halted in their tracks.
However, this was clearly not a long-term solution. Even with the temporary spatial lockdown using a Mythic Spatial Lock Component, the number of bugs on the surface of the Floating Continent was in the billions.
These were elite bug swarms cultivated by the Ninth-Rank Ancient Empress during her Eighth-Rank stage, using countless resources and efforts. Among them were several Seventh-Rank Dominator Bugs and a few Eighth-Rank Sovereign Bugs. While they could be temporarily blocked during the chaos, once they regrouped, it would be time for Song Chi and his team to consider a retreat.
The Ancient Empress was well aware of this.
As a ruler of billions of bugs, no one understood the swarm tactics better than she did.
Taking advantage of the lull between the first and second rounds of bombardment, the familiar hissing sounds finally emerged from the core tunnel.
The sound waves spread, and wherever they passed, the bugs spontaneously entered a Rage state, their bodies exuding a thick, blood-red vapor as they burned their own life force.
At this point, the enslaved creatures and the limited number of Flame-Ember Starships could no longer stop the bugs. They could only watch helplessly as the bug swarms surged toward the Core Space tunnel.
Above the sky, in the communication channel linked by over twenty ships.
"Ying Kuang, we can't keep this up. We need to force the Ancient Empress out first!"
"Relying solely on this wide-area bombardment won't pose a life-threatening danger to a Ninth-Rank Empress!"
One of the three Galaxy Ship captains who was not from the Ying clan spoke up.
Hearing this, Ying Kuang, who understood the urgency, hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Kacha! Kacha! Kacha!
Sharp metallic scraping sounds came from below the Four Seas Divine Ying, and upon looking down, Song Chi saw a seam in the armor of the Ultimate Galaxy Ship's underside suddenly split open, revealing a special external turret.
In the main control room of the Galaxy Ship, Ying Kuang's eyes turned cold as he activated a component that had been dormant for a long time.
[External Collapsing Neutron Torpedo Launcher] - "Five-shot Neutron Collapse Torpedoes", activated!
As he spoke the command in his mind, the cold external turret below the Galaxy Ship erupted.
In quick succession, five neutron collapse torpedoes, formed from special energy, roared downward, hurtling toward the entrance of the Core Space tunnel.
Seemingly sensing the lethal threat from the five neutron collapse torpedoes, the Ancient Empress, hidden deep within the Core Space, quickly summoned the Seventh- and Eighth-Rank Dominator Bugs from the surface of the Floating Continent to intercept them.
Some of the Splasher Bugs fired corrosive projectiles to try and remotely dissolve the neutron collapse torpedoes.
Others, like the Tiger Crab Bugs, charged out to detonate the torpedoes with their bodies.
Even the figure of an Eighth-Rank Winged Sovereign Bug flashed by, and several spatial cutting beams appeared out of thin air, heading straight toward the five neutron collapse torpedoes.
Inside the Skygale of Tianxu Mirror Warship, following Song Chi's ethereal body's command, the Replica Bodhimanda Samadhi Seal was activated. The "Meditation Seal - External - Time Stop" characteristic sent out a burst of golden light that precisely penetrated a corrosive sphere below, freezing it in place.
Additionally, the Replica Chaotic Divine Attribute Component was also activated, and the "Divine Oracle" characteristic immediately plunged an Eighth-Rank Tiger Crab Sovereign Bug, which was flying forward, into a state of chaos. Its initially swift movement suddenly became erratic.
It wasn't just him who took action; over twenty Flame-Ember Starships in the high sky also joined in.
Whether it was the Binding Halo, Spatial Reversal, or Time Slow, everyone was doing their utmost to prevent the Sovereign Bugs from approaching.
Even the two Galaxy Ships were about to join in, but they were stopped by the distinguished captain of an Annihilator Ship in the group chat.
The three Galaxy Ships were the main force for the subsequent attack on the Ancient Empress. Once the Ancient Empress emerged, they needed to be the first to charge forward. At this moment, it was not advisable to overextend or split up.
Then, the Annihilator Ship captain voluntarily left the formation and maneuvered his vessel toward the target below.
The target was a hidden Eighth-Rank Winged Sovereign Bug. The most significant threat to the five neutron collapse torpedoes was this elusive Winged Sovereign Bug.
However, restraining this Eighth-Rank Winged Sovereign Bug was no easy task. Its thin insect wings allowed it to freely traverse between the dark side of the void and reality. If this point couldn't be controlled, there would be no way to approach it.
Fortunately, this captain was not acting recklessly. Since he chose the Eighth-Rank Winged Sovereign Bug as his target, he naturally had a specific method.
As his warship descended to a certain altitude, a burst of tricolor light suddenly shot out from the hull. In the next moment, Song Chi's Double Pupil captured the rapid solidification of the surrounding void centered around the Annihilator Ship.
Several ten thousand kilometers away from the Annihilator Ship, a spatial rift had just torn open a small segment but could no longer expand. Through this narrow spatial rift, a massive black shadow could be seen in the depths.
Clearly, this rift was the chosen location for the next appearance of the Eighth-Rank Winged Sovereign Bug. At this moment, however, the void was forcibly restrained by the Annihilator Ship. Moreover, the spatial rift in the depths also seemed affected, making it difficult for the Eighth-Rank Winged Sovereign Bug to move its wings to change position.
Thus, the Eighth-Rank Winged Sovereign Bug was temporarily restrained. Although Song Chi could see that the spatial solidification effect wouldn't last long, given that the target was an Eighth-Rank creature, it was enough.
Without the interference of these Sovereign Bugs, the five neutron collapse torpedoes accurately entered the pit passage.
Before the neutron collapse torpedoes could explode, a gigantic figure already emerged from the pit passage, followed by several Eighth-Rank Sovereign Bugs.
While the Core Space could block the bombardment of many Flame-Ember Starships, the terror of the spatial collapse torpedoes was not to be underestimated.
Once they detonated, the surrounding space would collapse entirely. Even as a Ninth-Rank Sovereign, the Ancient Empress would be in mortal danger under the terrifying spatial compression and collapse, without the need for the Flame-Ember Starships to finish the job.
"Attack!"
The moment the Ancient Empress emerged from the passage, the engines of the three Galaxy Ships, which had been waiting above, roared to life, propelling them straight toward the Ancient Empress.
Behind the Ancient Empress, several Eighth-Rank Sovereign Bugs flapped their wings, preparing to intercept, but they were immediately blocked by over twenty Annihilator Ships that appeared out of nowhere.
Soon, a fierce battle erupted on the Yellow Sand Floating Continent. The three Galaxy Ships versus the Ancient Empress formed the first battlefield, the numerous Annihilator Ships versus the Eighth-Rank Sovereign Bugs formed the second battlefield, and the enslaved creatures versus the dense insect swarms formed the third battlefield.
In one area of the second battlefield, the Skygale of Tianxu Mirror Warship, along with two other Annihilator Ships, was engaged in a struggle with an Eighth-Rank Tiger Crab Sovereign Bug.
The battle seemed intense, but in reality, the Skygale of Tianxu Mirror Warship, as the main tank at the forefront, was not using its full strength. Even Song Chi, who was remotely observing the battlefield, was primarily focused on the battle between the Galaxy Ships and the Ancient Empress in the sky.
The most critical part of this battle was undoubtedly the one in the sky.
It was certain that the three Galaxy Ships had their own trump cards; otherwise, they wouldn't have planned this operation knowing that the Ancient Empress had ascended to the Ninth Rank.
This was also the reason for Song Chi's hesitation.
The Asura Emperor was currently on the mirror warship. If he wished, he could summon him to quickly resolve the battle, but the problem was that a contract had been signed before the operation. The Ancient Empress was Ying Kuang's and his team's prey. Even if Song Chi had the Asura Emperor intervene, the Ancient Empress's corpse would not belong to him after the battle.
Because of this, Song Chi had not yet revealed his full strength.
However, after some thought, he decided to act.
Swoosh—
The warship's hatch opened.
Of course, it wasn't the Asura Emperor who rushed out, but an Eighth-Rank Starsea Giant Ape.
His goal this time was the Superior Energy Crystal inside the Eighth-Rank insect. The one killed by the Great Wall of Civilization had not yet produced one. No matter what, he needed to obtain a Superior Energy Crystal first.
(End of Chapter)
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