National Star Sea Era...

Chapter 888 Passing on the Torch and Achieving Fame
The colossal body of the Chaos Giant suddenly stiffened.

As an eleventh-order mythical creature, how acute were its senses? Almost the instant the insect swarm retreated, the chilling killing intent emanating from the Three Corpse Super-Mecha Giant acted like a tangible shackle, firmly binding every inch of its skin.

"Ugh——!"

A deep, panicked roar ripped through the sky. Chaotic energy surged wildly around the colossal elephant, and its thick trunk swept across like a collapsing pillar of heaven, attempting to tear through space to escape.

However, it was too late.

"town!"

With their wills perfectly aligned, Jiang Yuan, Ji Heng, and Ying Yi unleashed their power. The six arms of the Three Corpse Superhuman Mecha Giant moved in unison, and the strange weapons stained with the blood of the Corrupting Emperor Worm once again burst forth with dazzling brilliance.

This time, the radiance did not spread; instead, it rapidly contracted, transforming into three intertwined chains of chaotic rules—

One path winds through time and space, solidifying all things; another pierces through nothingness, pointing directly to the origin of rules; and the last one burns with raging Dao fire, specifically designed to extinguish life.

The three chains, like spears of judgment from the depths of chaos, instantly traversed the void and precisely wrapped around the massive body of the Chaos Elephant, which was as large as a giant mountain range.

Chi Chi Chi!
The membrane and chaotic energy on the surface of the chaotic giant elephant, which were strong enough to withstand the impact of stars, were frantically bound by three chains of rules. No matter how it struggled, it could not break free in a short time, and its body, which wanted to escape into the void, was thus halted.

"Roar!!!"

The chaotic behemoth roared in anger, its massive body struggling wildly. Each twist caused the space within an endless expanse of light to tremble violently. It was only because the ruins of the Human Emperor City below were isolated by a five-colored spatial sealing component by Ferdinand, who had freed up his hands, that they would have been impacted again, causing countless casualties to the Firefly Fleet in the city.

But all of this was in vain.

The fact that it failed to immediately escape into the void meant that this eleventh-order chaotic giant elephant had missed its last chance to escape.

Above the sky, the energy core in the chest of the Three Corpse Super-Mecha Giant had been opened, and the original energy generator had been transformed into a pitch-black, menacing cannon muzzle. Under the mental control of Jiang Yuan and the other two, this pitch-black cannon muzzle suddenly erupted, and a beam of light capable of annihilating everything shot out.

"Destroy!"

There was no spectacular explosion, only a simple, unadorned, yet undeniably destructive, dark trajectory that silently descended.

Time seems to stand still at this moment.

The chaotic colossus froze in its struggle, its terrified eyes completely dimmed.

The next instant, a thin line of blood appeared between its eyebrows and ran through its entire body.

The third eleventh-tier mythical alien has fallen.

But that's about it.

With the fall of this chaotic behemoth, or rather, even before the swarm of decaying insects chose to leave, the remaining five-race allied forces had completely lost their will to fight.

Once the Three Corpse Super-Emperor Mecha Giant had completely dealt with the eleventh-order Chaos Giant Elephant, the alien races that had gathered around the Human Emperor City had already scattered and fled. Only a few mythical enslaved creatures and Song Chi managed to entangle a few tenth-order alien races that wanted to escape.

With the help of the Three Corpse Super-Giant Mech, who were now free to act, the mythical alien races that had been forcibly detained were quickly dealt with. After that, Jiang Yuan and the other two, who had broken free from their fusion, quickly summoned all the ninth-rank and above Fireship Captains in the city for a high-level meeting.

As for the eleventh-tier myth that fled far away—Annihilation Throat

Jiang Yuan and the others paid no attention to it. The most important thing at the moment was to reorganize the Firefly Fleet and try to push further outward.

……

The Emperor's Hall, the location of the highest command center, had a solemn and murderous atmosphere, yet it also carried a hint of excitement from surviving a catastrophe.

Inside the hall, four veteran human emperors of civilization—Jiang Yuan, Ji Heng, Ying Yi, and Pei Dinan—along with Song Chi, the fifth human emperor of the torch who was tacitly acknowledged by everyone, sat together at the head of the hall. Below them were dozens of ninth-order superdimensional captains, including Jiang Yi, Ying Wei, Wilson, and Ji Qing.

Everyone was somewhat exhausted, having just gone through a fierce battle, but their eyes were all exceptionally sharp.

Everyone knew that what was about to be discussed was a matter of great importance concerning the future prosperity of the entire civilization.

A holographic star map unfolded in the center of the hall, clearly marking the vast territory of the Chaos Divine Continent centered on the Human Emperor City, as well as the coordinates of the hundreds of Chaos Cities that had been conquered by the alien alliance in the past.

Among them, Hun Tian City, one of the Chaos Cities once under the jurisdiction of the Chaos Demon Ape, and several top-tier Chaos Cities like Lie Shan Zu City, stand out like the most dazzling blood-red stars on this star map.

Jiang Yuan spoke first, her voice steady yet carrying an undeniable determination:
"Gentlemen, this battle was a Pyrrhic victory. Our civilization paid a heavy price; the Human Emperor City was nearly half destroyed, and countless compatriots perished. But crisis is also an opportunity. The main force of the alien alliance has been routed, and our high-end combat power has been severely depleted. This is the perfect opportunity for our race to expand outwards!"

Ji Heng tapped her fingertip on the hundreds of points of light on the star map:
"Most of these captured Chaos Cities have had their defenses destroyed, and their garrisons are now extremely weak due to reinforcements being drawn into the Allied Forces. This is especially true for Hun Tian City and Lie Shan Ancestral City. These two cities were once the residences of the Chaos Demon Ape Clan and the ancestral cities of the Lie Shan Ancient Ape Clan, respectively. They are not only rich in resources but also hold extremely important strategic positions. If we can capture them, we can use them as a fulcrum to solidify the foundation of our Torchfire Civilization in the Heavenly Ape Star Realm and even the Chaos Divine Continent. We will no longer be trapped in a state of isolated siege!"

Ying Yi's eyes flashed with a sharp light, his fighting spirit soaring:
"That's right! Strike while the iron is hot! Although Yanhou escaped, he was severely injured and will not be able to fight again for a while."

"Furthermore, with the retreat of the Corrupting Insect swarm, the Fel, Blade, and Chaos Giant races have suffered heavy losses, leaving them in a power vacuum! I suggest we immediately divide our forces and, as quickly as possible, seize all these Chaos Cities, especially the top-tier ones, before other lurking forces can react!"

Ferdinand, being relatively cautious, added:
"Dividing our forces to launch a counterattack is imperative, but it requires careful planning. Our army has also suffered heavy losses in this battle, and we need to allocate some of our forces to stay behind in the Imperial City to repair the defenses in case of unforeseen circumstances."

"Furthermore, the most crucial question is whether, even if we temporarily succeed in occupying those Chaos Cities, our Flame Civilization alone has enough power to completely control them?"

These words were met with strong approval from Song Chi.

"That's right. Although our Torchfire Civilization currently has five Mythical Immortal Ships and seven Mythical Enslaved Creatures, if we want to completely occupy a Chaos City, we must leave at least three Mythical warriors to guard each city. Even so, we cannot allow our supplies and support to be cut off."

"Supplies are alright, thanks to the Heavenly Market, we can trade across cities, but the support from mythical warriors is..."

He stopped abruptly at this point.

Although the words were not fully explained, everyone in the hall understood their meaning.

The Fire Civilization has been present in the Celestial Market for thousands of years, and naturally has long since figured out the corresponding rules of the Celestial Market. Beings of the ninth rank and below are not restricted and can freely enter and exit the market, but mythical beings are not included in this category.

Although, after investigation, the Fire Civilization has confirmed that the Celestial Market can evolve autonomously, and the life level of beings entering the market will only gradually increase, there is no pattern to it.

No one can say for sure whether it will rise to the level of mythology in the future, and if so, when exactly.
Based on this, trying to exploit this bug using the Heavenly Market is clearly not feasible, at least not at present. Song Chi glanced around, quietly observing everyone's expressions, but remained silent.

Even though he knew very well that the current level of the Heavenly Ruins Market had reached lv99, and it was not far from advancing to the tenth level.

The reason is actually very simple.

The bug in the Chaos God Continent of the semi-high-dimensional land is still too terrifying. Even if the Heavenly Market advances to the tenth level later, he will never easily let go of this matter, so as not to arouse the greed of those transcendent beings.

Even if the market reaches the tenth-tier mythical level, he will have great confidence in relying on the market's own status to confront transcendent beings head-on. However, that would only be in a one-on-one situation. If he were to be targeted by multiple transcendent beings, things would be very different.

Therefore, Song Chi needs to prevent this situation from occurring.

Before his thoughts could continue to race, a superdimensional captain below stepped forward.

"Tan Renhong, do you have a solution?"

As the newly promoted superdimensional captain of the Tianying Tan clan, he naturally belonged to the Chiyu Divine Dynasty, so it was Ji Heng who spoke up to ask the question at this moment.

After Tan Renhong nodded, a faint light flashed between his brows, and the next second, a ball of seven-colored light shot out from his ancestral aperture of fire.

Zhou Tian Liu He Zhuan Lun Da Zhen lv0
Quality: Color/Extreme
Unique Feature: Zhou Tian Liu He Zhuan Lun Grand Array
Effect: The loaded warship can be set to the corresponding coordinates, which are then set as the rotation coordinates. The current number of rotation coordinates that can be set is 6/6.

……

{The Zhou Tian Liu He Revolving Wheel Array: Consumes a large amount of psionic energy points to construct teleportation portals at the coordinates of each revolving wheel, allowing for inter-portal teleportation. The current maximum teleportation distance is 1 light-year.}
As Tan Renhong displayed the attribute panel of this [Zhou Tian Liu He Zhuan Lun Da Zhen] component, a bright light quickly appeared in the eyes of everyone in the hall.

However, it was Ji Heng who spoke last.

"Could we try a progressive rule for component delivery distance?"

"Your Majesty, according to my tests, if it can be strengthened to the twelfth rank, it can be teleported up to a hundred billion light-years away."

Upon hearing this, everyone's joy grew even greater.

Even Song Chi was pleasantly surprised.

A hundred billion light-years, even with the ten thousand times spatial suppression of the Chaos Divine Continent, is still ten million light-years. This distance is enough to encompass the four top-tier Chaos Cities, including the [Hun Tian City] and the [Lie Shan Ancestral City]. Including the Human Emperor City beneath our feet, that makes five cities. The last spot can be filled by choosing a low-tier Chaos City.

"Alright, this [Zhou Tian Liu He Zhuan Lun Grand Array] component is a perfect fit for the current situation. As compensation, the Tianying Tan Clan can choose any item from the contribution shop later, and this will also count as ten million contribution points for you..."

After jokingly arranging the rewards for the Tianying Tan family, everyone returned to the main topic.

"It's settled then. The first main force will consist of me, Ji Heng, and Pei Dinan, who will pilot the Mythical Immortal Ship straight to [Hun Tian City]. This city was once one of the cities under the jurisdiction of the Chaos Demon Ape Clan. Although it is far inferior to the Tongtian Chaos Ancestral City, its strategic value is the highest among the selected cities. We must take it as soon as possible."

"The second route, led by Song Chi and his Mythical Asura, will form an elite fleet responsible for retaking [Splitting Mountain City], one of the three top Chaos Cities." Jiang Yuan's gaze swept over Song Chi, filled with approval and expectation.

The performance of the Sky Ruins in this battle has earned everyone's respect.

"The third route will be led by Xingyu Canglong, the Thirty-Six-Winged Holy Angel, and the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, and will be responsible for two of the three top-tier Chaos Cities."

"The fourth route is led by the Void Sea Flame Phoenix, the Ruins Annihilation Whale, and the Planet Devourer, and is responsible for the last top-tier Chaos City."

"As for Jiang Yi and Wilson, you two will act together, target Tianli City, which is not far from the Human Emperor City, and make sure to take it down."

"All actions must be swift, accurate, and ruthless! Once captured, immediately activate the city's core, repair the city's defenses, and restore the city's basic defensive capabilities in the shortest possible time!"

"As for Ying Yi, the Human Emperor City is now in your hands!"

The plan was unanimously approved, and the order was quickly issued, putting the entire Torch Civilization, this super war machine, into efficient operation immediately.

A moment later, above the Emperor's City.

Four mythical immortal ships took the lead, soaring into the sky and tearing through the void, heading towards [Hun Tian City] and [Lie Shan Ancestral City] respectively.

Following the four mythical immortal ships were elite fleets composed entirely of high-tier warships such as Star Destroyer and Star River, which would serve as the basic defensive force for the cities they subsequently occupied.

Immediately afterwards, a larger fleet of tinder, led by several mythical enslaved creatures, split into several streams and shot out in all directions like scattered sparks.

This sudden and massive counterattack has officially begun.

……

Song Chi stood in the main control room of the Sky Ruins Sky, his sharp gaze fixed on the still incomplete [Splitting Mountain Ancestral City] in front of him.

Intelligence indicates that after the city was captured, only a single elite Blade Force was left to garrison it, with only a tenth-tier Blade God in command.

"Do it!"

As expected, under the formidable combat power of the Sky Ruins Sky, the Blade Clan force was quickly annihilated, and the [Splitter Mountain Ancestral City] was naturally brought under the control of the Torchfire Civilization.

Not only in the [Splitter Mountain Ancestral City], but also in the other fleets, this counter-offensive was far more successful than the previous defensive battle of the Human Emperor City.

This time, the Civilization of Fire was riding high on its victory, while its enemies were terrified and demoralized.

However, what Song Chi and the others did not know was that while they were doing their best to push back, the reputation of the Torch Civilization was also spreading rapidly throughout the entire Tianyuan Star Realm.

One clan, one city, single-handedly resisted the attack of the mythical alliance of five top clans, and even annihilated more than four eleventh-tier mythical units in one fell swoop.

The names "Civilization of the Torch" and "Human Emperor City" have spread at an alarming rate throughout the entire Tianyuan Star Realm, thanks to word of mouth from the fleeing Five Races Alliance and the Corrupting Insect Swarm.

The name of the torch of human civilization was quickly etched into the memories of countless powerful forces.

(End of this chapter)