Swallowing the Stars: Heart of the Martial God

Chapter 203 Three Races Alliance
"They can't stop them!" the Demon Ancestor retorted, his tone growing increasingly urgent. "The Mechanical Race lacks supreme treasures and cannot withstand the onslaught of the Human Race; the Demon Race won't last long either. Given humanity's greed, how can my Prison Race, one of the six most powerful races, stand idly by?"

"Hahaha—" A loud laugh suddenly came from the dark throne, making the surrounding bones rustle and breaking the solemn atmosphere.

"Prison King, why are you laughing?" The Demon Ancestor's face darkened, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure.

"Demon Ancestor, you are overthinking it." The Prison King's laughter gradually subsided, his tone filled with confident composure. "Even if humanity were to expand rapidly and wage war against all races in the universe, my Prison Clan would have no need to worry in the slightest."

"What makes you say that?" the Demon Ancestor asked, frowning.

"Have you forgotten where our Prison Clan's roots are?" the Prison King slowly explained, the eerie aura emanating from his throne softening slightly. "We are beings born in the treacherous cosmic land of 'Prison,' struggling to survive on that land where life and death battles are constantly taking place, and have long since adapted to the extremely harsh environment."

The core value of our territory has never been its livability and abundance, but rather those 'dangerous nodes' that can be shrouded in mystery and terror.

Examples include energy-disordered spatial rifts, abandoned star belts filled with unknown radiation, and even the edge of a small black hole on the verge of collapse.

These places are desolate wastelands for humanity, yet they are the foundation upon which we live and thrive. Have you ever seen humans fight over a dangerous star system where even settling down is difficult?

Upon hearing this, the Demon Ancestor was taken aback, his scarlet eyes flickered slightly, and his brows gradually relaxed.

He recalled the scenes of his childhood fighting against various creatures in the "prison," those dangerous places that humans would avoid at all costs, which were indeed the natural barrier and sacred place of cultivation for the prison tribe.

Moreover, humans are inherently weak, and their young children would absolutely not be able to survive in those places. Even if humans lived in a divine kingdom, they would absolutely not want to live in a "prison".

"Prison" is a place comparable to the prisons of the twelve star domains of mankind, but why do humans need so many prisons?

Moreover, seizing the territory of the Prison means waging war against a peak race with the strongest beings in the universe, which is indeed not worth it.

"Furthermore, what do humans need?" the Prison King continued, his voice sharp with insight. "They need habitable planets illuminated by stars to sustain their populations, star systems rich in resources, warmth, and oxygen for cultivation, and stable space routes to develop civilization. The perilous lands occupied by my Prison Clan are so scarce that even the most basic life resources are extremely thin, let alone building shipping routes and nurturing a population. For humans, conquering such places is pointless; on the contrary, it would require expending enormous military resources to garrison them, making it a complete loss."

"And... is my Prison Clan interested in the territory of the Human Race?" the Prison King asked again.

"Naturally, I'm not interested." Before the Demon Ancestor could answer, the Prison King replied with a hint of sarcasm, "The human realm is filled with vibrant life energy and light, things that are incompatible with our race. You and I both grew up in the battles of 'Prison,' and we've long been accustomed to the desolate world of the survival of the fittest—letting our warriors stay in star systems teeming with life for extended periods would only erode their fighting spirit and ambition, causing their strength to regress rather than improve. What would we do in the human realm? Cut off our own foundation?"

A brief silence fell upon the summit of the Bone Mountain, broken only by the crisp sound of the scorpion tail sweeping across the bones behind the Demon Ancestor.

"When the Primordial Ancestor expanded, why did he never attack the Prison Clan? It wasn't that he didn't want to, but that there was no need." The Prison King's voice rang out again, with a hint of enlightening his juniors. "The survival foundations of the two clans are worlds apart, and their territories are 'useless lands' to each other, so why bother fighting for them? Our Prison Clan has always adopted a laissez-faire policy towards its vassal clans, only absorbing peerless powerhouses in wars to strengthen itself. We have never had any intention of competing with humans for those rich star fields; and what humans want is exactly what we don't need."

"Even if Emperor Yan is as powerful as you say in the future, his primary targets will be the demon race and the mechanical race, which have overlapping territories and conflicting interests, rather than our Prison race, which is far away and has no value to contend with."

The Prison King added, "After all, our race emerged from the 'prison,' and our greatest strength lies in surviving in dire straits. If we were to truly fight to the death with the human race, they might not gain the upper hand; instead, it would hinder their expansion. For a powerful figure like Emperor Yan, doing something so strenuous and unrewarding would be the most foolish thing to do."

The anxiety in the Demon Ancestor's crimson eyes finally subsided, and he nodded gently: "Hearing you say that, I realize I was worrying too much."

"It's not that you're worrying unnecessarily; you're just being trapped by the title of 'top race,'" the Prison King said calmly. "The conflicts between the various races in the universe are essentially a struggle for survival resources. My Prison Clan has no resource overlap with the Human Race, no territorial conflicts, and even our living environments are mutually exclusive, so we inherently have fewer reasons to fight each other. As long as we don't provoke them, even if the Flame Emperor is domineering, he won't attack us for no reason."

The eerie aura on the mountaintop gradually subsided, and the huge weight in the Demon Ancestor's heart finally lifted. However, when he thought of the news that the human race had successively subdued the Beast God, he still couldn't help but snort coldly: "Even so, the momentum of the human race is really an eyesore."

The King of Hell chuckled softly and said no more.

He knew that the Demon Ancestor had only been temporarily blinded by the overwhelming power of the human race and the Flame Emperor, and that he had now seen through the fog and regained his wisdom.

The pitch-black throne stood silently atop the Bone Mountain, seemingly one with this perilous land where the Hell Clan was born—in this dog-eat-dog universe, true safety is never an alliance, but a distance where "neither side is of any use."

"Prison King, I wish to form an alliance with humanity. What do you think?" The Demon Ancestor suddenly spoke, a calculating glint in his crimson eyes.

"There's no need for deliberate attempts to curry favor," the Prison King's voice emanated from his throne, carrying his usual composure. "My Prison Clan should simply let things develop naturally. Does the Demon Ancestor have other plans?"

"Humans naturally look down on the territory of my Prison Clan." The Demon Ancestor traced the silver armor at his waist with his fingertips, and said meaningfully, "But surely humans can't ignore the crystal mines that the Crystal Clan has scattered throughout the star system, as well as the star marrow mineral resources that can be used to forge supreme treasures?"

"The Crystal Clan deserves to die!"

“Those shiny, hard lumps always point fingers at us whenever we meet!”

Several other Prison Clan Universe Lords hidden in the shadows immediately echoed, their voices filled with disgust.

This hostility is not unfounded.

Although the Crystal Clan and the Prison Clan are both among the six top clans, they are different from clans like humans and demons who have feuds due to adjacent territories.

The two races are separated by billions of light-years, and their vassal forces are further separated by countless star systems. If we take the four major races, including the human race, as the center, the two races are exactly at opposite ends of the original universe.

Logically speaking, they should have had no interaction whatsoever, but instead they became mortal enemies who are irreconcilable.

The root cause lies in their diametrically opposed life essences.

The Crystal Clan is entirely forged from crystals, its flowing energy patterns exuding a sacred and pure aura; while the Prison Clan was born in the chaotic and sinister "Prison," where rocks, energy, flesh, and other diverse forms coexist, and their actions are erratic and ruthless. One prioritizes "collectivity," with a level of unity far exceeding that of the Machine Clan, regarding order and purity as their faith; the other believes in the survival of the fittest, expanding their race by raising vassals and plundering the strong, with chaos etched into their very bones.

This inherent antagonism means that every encounter between the two races' strongest members inevitably leads to a life-or-death struggle.

The blood feud accumulated over countless eons has long made the name "Crystal Clan" the most glaring existence in the eyes of the Prison Clan.

“Those galaxies with their clusters of crystalline mineral veins are among the richest places in the universe.” Seeing that everyone shared the same idea, the Demon Ancestor’s voice grew even deeper. “Humanity’s expansion will inevitably require massive amounts of resources to support it.”

To cultivate geniuses, countless precious resources are needed.

The Crystal Clan's Star Marrow can strengthen the divine body, and the Seven-Colored Crystal Core can amplify spiritual power; these are treasures coveted by all races. The Flame Emperor's domineering style suggests his ambition is considerable; these are all truly valuable items…

"Using someone else to do your dirty work?" The throne of the Prison King suddenly emitted a blinding, evil light, and the ancient patterns on its surface writhed violently as if they were alive. "You want to incite humans to go to war with the Crystal Clan so that my Prison Clan can reap the benefits?"

"But why should humans obey our commands?" A cosmic lord with a rocky body took half a step forward, the heavy sound of his footsteps causing dust to fall from the summit of the Bone Mountain.

Upon hearing this, the Demon Ancestor chuckled softly, a cunning glint flashing in his crimson eyes, his scorpion tail swaying gently behind him: "Why should humans listen to us? What we want is never to control them. We only need our Prison Clan to kick them a couple of times when the human race is dealing with the Crystal Clan, and that will be enough to avenge the blood feud of countless epochs."

"That's right!" came an immediate echo from the shadows. "Those glowing lumps should have been wiped out long ago. I'll definitely smash that idiot Lord of Light with my own hands when the time comes!"

"I've long disliked the hypocritical face of the Crystal Clan. If humans can wage war against the Crystal Clan, I will definitely go and lend my support!"

As the whispers of the powerful members of the Prison Clan dissipated in the eerie winds, a completely different stalemate was unfolding in another corner of the primordial universe, in the core territory of the Machine Race, the "Nine-Eyed Nexus."

Inside this mechanical fortress, which is surrounded by nine artificial stars, an oval black sphere slowly floats, with countless crystalline rays of light connecting all parts of the fortress like nerves—this is the residence of the mechanical god.

"Humanity's momentum has become a raging fire; we cannot sit idly by and wait for our demise." The voice of the Machine God Father emanated from the sphere, carrying the cold, hard texture of metal friction.

The mechanical race's cosmic rulers sat on thrones in two rows, below them were numerous cosmic venerables.

"Humans disdain the chaotic lands of the Prison Clan, the Insect Clan can protect themselves with the support of the Golden Wall Lord, and the Demon Clan has two supreme beings, each protected by a supreme treasure. Only our clan directly borders the human territory. Once they expand, our clan will be the first to bear the brunt."

After he finished speaking, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone knows that although the Machine Race has an army of 10,081 supreme treasure puppets, humanity now possesses the two strongest beings in the universe, Giant Axe and Chaos, as well as talented up-and-coming talents such as Ling Xuan and the Lord of Extreme Sun. Moreover, the Machine Race's Father God does not have any supreme treasures. If a war were to break out, they would have no chance of winning.

“Father God, the demon race and the insect race are also threatened by humans. Why don’t we meet with the strongest members of the demon race and the insect race to discuss forming an alliance?” An eight-armed cosmic venerable stepped forward, his voice transmitted through the energy converter.

The Machine God remained silent for a moment, then the light on the surface of the sphere suddenly brightened: "I have already contacted Dream Tea and the Zerg Queen about this matter. However, relying on such an unreliable alliance is not a long-term solution, and the two races have a blood feud with my Machine race."

"This..." The group of mechanical race experts were stunned upon hearing this, and they couldn't think of a good solution for the time being.

Seeing this, the mechanical god could only sigh and shake his head, for the mechanical race was more limited than other races.

They became a top race because of their strength, but the mechanical race is a highly dependent and vassal race. They have superb computing abilities, but they are somewhat slow to devise strategies.

"Sigh, we can only take it one step at a time."

In the desolate starfields of the primordial universe, billions of lifeless meteorites floated in the void, making even the light seem exceptionally dim.

Suddenly, three thoughts traversed endless light-years, pierced through the spatial barrier, and descended to this place, condensing into three majestic phantoms in the center of the meteorite cluster.

On the left, a slender figure was surrounded by endless pale purple light mist. The folds of her silver-purple battle dress could be vaguely seen in the light mist. With each breath, the surrounding void rippled slightly. Her pair of butterfly-like transparent wings appeared and disappeared in the light mist.

In the center, a huge oval black sphere floats, its surface covered with fine metallic patterns, between which flows a chilling energy.

On the right, thousands of silver-white snake shadows surrounded a giant snake head, its eyes blood-red. The surrounding starry sky was twisted into a vortex by the snake shadows, and even meteorites shattered under the invisible pressure.

"Machine, what brings you and the Empress to this desolate land?" The serpent head of the Dream Demon Ancestor turned slightly, its voice disregarding the rules of light speed, instantly reaching the other two illusory figures, and the area surrounded by the serpent shadows expanded even further.

The metallic patterns on the surface of the black sphere lit up, and the voice of the Mechanical Father God carried the cold hardness unique to metal: "Humanity's momentum is unstoppable. Ling Xuan has subdued the Lord of the Flame Ruins and taken control of the corpse of the Wind Beast God. If this continues, our three races' territories will suffer sooner or later. I have summoned you two today to discuss forming an alliance to resist humanity."

The Zerg Queen's slender figure swayed gently, and a seductive yet aloof voice emanated from within the misty light. Her eyes, shrouded in fog, held a shrewd calculation: "An alliance? The Machine Father is certainly straightforward. But humanity is currently at its peak; if we proactively form an alliance, wouldn't we be inviting trouble?"

"It's better to invite trouble than to sit and wait for death!" The Dream Demon Ancestor's serpentine eyes suddenly contracted, and his serpentine shadow instantly became ferocious. "Our demon race borders the human territory, and that brat Ling Xuan is becoming increasingly domineering and disregards our demon race. If we don't take action soon, he might directly invade our Dream Ancestor's Secret Realm next time! Our demon race agrees to the alliance!"

"The Dream Demon Ancestor is indeed decisive." The black sphere of the Mechanical Race Father God rotated slightly, his tone becoming more earnest. "In the current situation, victory or defeat hinges entirely on the clash between top-tier combatants. We don't need to dwell on the conflicts at the bottom; we only need to do three things: First, share intelligence on the whereabouts of humanity's strongest individuals to avoid being ambushed alone; second, if one side is targeted by Ling Xuan or Giant Axe, the other two must immediately send telepathic messages to provide support, even if it's just a brief distraction, it can turn the tide of battle; third, if humanity gives birth to a new super genius, we must join forces to assassinate him, cooperating with each other while reducing assassinations of geniuses among ourselves, thus creating more supreme beings and alleviating the pressure from humanity."

The Zerg Queen paused for a moment, her voice in the mist of light carrying a hint of hesitation, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the folds of her battle skirt: "Information sharing is feasible, but the extent of 'fighting side by side'... we both know that in a clash between the strongest, life and death are decided in an instant, and the slightest carelessness could lead to disaster."

She changed the subject, deliberately avoiding making a clear promise, "However, our clan will closely monitor the movements of the strongest humans, and if there is an emergency, we can send a timely message to remind them. But as for the matter of 'standing together through thick and thin'—I need to consider it further, after all, it concerns the safety of our clan."

(End of this chapter)