Reborn as a lotus, she initially refuses to hand it over to the state.

Boom!

Thirty-two nuclear warheads were detonated simultaneously on the outer edge of the moon.

In the silent starry sky.

Thirty-two blazing suns burst forth with a roar.

The terrifying impact tore apart countless meteorites.

The blazing white light obscured the moon, and even ordinary people on the surface of Earth could see the sky suddenly brighten for a moment.

The global live broadcast was completely covered by white light.

In Linjiang City Square, someone clenched their fist excitedly: "They hit them! With so many nuclear warheads exploding at once, even an eighth-tier creature would die!"

"So what if they're alien civilizations? They're still made of flesh and blood!"

Hope was rekindled on the faces of many people around.

Some cheered, some hugged their families tightly, and some clasped their hands together in prayer.

A dozen seconds later, the blinding white light dissipated.

The moon reappeared on the screen.

The cheers in the square came to an abrupt halt.

The twelve silver-black reconnaissance ships still hovered silently on the outer edge of the moon.

Let alone being destroyed.

There wasn't even a scratch on the surface of the ship.

The immense energy released by the nuclear explosion and the advanced psionic warhead did not disperse in the surrounding area.

Strands of crimson and golden-purple light were being continuously devoured by the twelve reconnaissance ships.

The silver-gray spirit patterns on the ship's hull grew brighter and brighter.

It was as if the attack that humans had just launched was not a weapon of mass destruction.

Instead, it is actively replenishing their energy.

Sky Dome Deep Space Psionic Observatory.

Shen Xinglan stared at the soaring energy curve, her face growing paler and paler.

"The target's energy response continues to rise, and the energy level of the No. 11 reconnaissance ship has increased by 3.2 percent."

"The No. 7 reconnaissance ship will see an increase of 3.9%, and the average energy increase for the twelve target ships will reach 3.7%."

One researcher's lips trembled: "So, our nuclear weapons not only failed to harm them, but actually made them stronger?"

Shen Xinglan nodded with difficulty, and this result was quickly relayed to the Global Federation Conference Room.

Inside the conference hall.

High-ranking officials from various countries fell silent. Nuclear weapons were the most powerful means of destruction in the old era of humankind.

After the spiritual energy was restored, countries around the world used spiritual minerals, high-level beast cores, and array patterns to strengthen it several times.

But now all thirty-two enhanced warheads exploded simultaneously.

They didn't even damage a single reconnaissance ship.

The American general stared intently at the screen, his eyes bloodshot.

"There's one last way."

Zhou Zhenshan looked at him: "What method?"

The US general said, "Technological weapons cannot penetrate the spatial layers, but the power of a high-level awakened individual can shake space itself."

"Gather all seventh and eighth-order awakened beings on Earth, and then amplify them using global psionic nodes."

"Perhaps we can force them out of the spatial interlayer."

In the conference hall.

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Xuanweizi.

Among the human race on Earth today.

Xuanweizi is a peak eighth-level expert with the highest cultivation level.

We want to unite the efforts of high-level awakened individuals worldwide.

He must be in charge of the formation.

Xuanweizi stared at the twelve reconnaissance ships on the screen, and after a moment of silence, said, "It's worth a try."

Without hesitation, Zhou Zhenshan said directly, "Activate the Myriad Spirits Heavenly Dome Array, summon all awakened beings of the seventh rank and above, and launch the fourth phase of the attack."

……

Wudang Mountain.

The thousands of awakened beings who had just finished their sermon did not leave.

Banners rose from outside the Zixiao Palace.

Xuanweizi stood atop Xuanwu Cliff.

With the ancient sword held horizontally in front of them, Zhang Baoyi and Zhang Xuanling simultaneously stepped into the Thunder Pool at Longhu Mountain.

Golden-purple lightning illuminated the entire mountain range, Kunlun Mountain, where Qin Zhenyuan drew his black sword.

The black and gold blade's intent pierced through heaven and earth, and Chen Wuji erected the River-Suppressing Stele atop the mountain.

The Eight Extremes Mountain Sinking Force converges along the earth's veins towards the Sky Dome Array. In addition, there are the United States, Europe, the Northern Federation, and Africa.

One by one, seventh and eighth-level awakened individuals entered the formation.

Seventeen seventh-tier powerhouses, three eighth-tier powerhouses, and thirty-six large-scale psionic nodes.

More than 400 city guardian arrays lit up simultaneously at this moment.

Around the world, countless beams of psionic energy shot into the sky.

The beam of light pierced through the sea of ​​clouds and converged into a ten-thousand-foot-long sword of mountains and rivers in the outer orbit of the blue star.

Dragons, tigers, and thunder roamed the sword, the intent of the Zhenyuan sword surrounded it, and the Bajishan sinking force transformed into a heavy sword spine.

Zhou Zhenshan's defending army concentrated the will of countless humans onto the edge of their swords.

This attack brought together the strongest power that the awakened humans could muster at present.

The moment the ten-thousand-foot-long celestial sword was formed, fine cracks began to appear in the outer space of Blue Star.

His spiritual pressure reached the peak of the eighth rank, and even briefly touched the threshold of the ninth rank.

Countless people around the world looked up at the sky again, and some recognized the Wudang sword intent in the Heavenly Sword.

"It's Senior Xuanweizi, and the Thunder Technique of Longhu Mountain!"

"All the powerful members of our human race have made their move!"

"This strike will definitely win us the game!"

Xuanweizi gripped the ancient sword.

The gaze travels across the vast expanse of space and lands on a reconnaissance ship on the outer edge of the moon.

"The human race of the ancestral realm has not yet been wiped out. It is not your place, extraterrestrial beings, to decide our fate."

As soon as he finished speaking, the ancient sword slashed out.

"go!"

boom!

Above the blue planet.

The Heavenly Sword cleaved through space, piercing through mountains and rivers.

The sword light traversed near-Earth orbit and passed over the moon.

Carrying the power of countless human warriors, it slammed heavily into the foremost reconnaissance ship.

hum!

The outer side of the reconnaissance ship.

The previously invisible transparent membrane trembled violently.

Ripples spread outwards in concentric circles.

For the first time, the entire reconnaissance ship began to shake.

The silver-gray spirit patterns on the ship's hull also quickly dimmed under the dazzling sword light.

Countless people around the world stood up.

"It worked! This sword strike worked!"

"Keep going, cut it off!"

On Wudang Mountain, Xuanweizi gripped the ancient sword with both hands.

He continuously poured his spiritual power into the Myriad Spirits Heavenly Dome Array.

Zhang Baoyi's Dragon Tiger Thunder Pool roared.

Blood trickled from the corner of Qin Zhenyuan's mouth, yet he still gripped the black knife tightly.

The rocks beneath Chen Wuji's feet crumbled inch by inch.

All the high-level experts of the human race are desperately trying to maintain that Mountain and River Heavenly Sword.

The Heavenly Sword continued forward, eight hundred meters, three hundred meters, one hundred meters. It was only one hundred meters away from the actual hull of the reconnaissance ship.

But within those short hundred meters, it felt like two different worlds, and the sword could not advance even half an inch further.

Inside the reconnaissance ship.

A captain with a silver vertical line between his eyebrows calmly gazed at the outside world.

"The highest combined attack by an individual life form in the Ancestral Realm reaches the initial stage of the ninth rank, with a seven percent loss of the phase membrane."

"The level is within the danger limit; absorption is permitted."

The words fell.

Inside the reconnaissance ship, a silver-black crystal core slowly rotated.

All the spirit patterns on the ship's surface lit up simultaneously.

The power of the Myriad Mountains and Rivers Heavenly Sword was being drawn away strand by strand.

The sword quickly dimmed.

Xuanweizi's expression changed drastically: "Disconnect the formation!"

But it was too late.

boom!

The towering mountain and river sword shattered with a deafening roar.

The terrifying backlash traveled along the Myriad Spirits Celestial Array back to Earth.

On Mount Wudang, Xuanweizi took three steps back.

A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of Zhang Baoyi's mouth, and the Dragon-Tiger Thunder Pool behind him was mostly extinguished.

Zhang Xuanling groaned, the lightning pattern between his brows dimming.

A small crack appeared on the black knife in Qin Zhenyuan's hand.

The river-suppressing monument behind Chen Wuji trembled violently.

all around the world.

Dozens of high-level awakened individuals who participated in the combined attack simultaneously coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground.

Myriad Spirits Celestial Dome Array

broken.

The outer edge of the moon.

The reconnaissance ship that withstood the strongest blow from the human race remained suspended in place.

The ship is intact.

The surface space boundary membrane dimmed for less than three seconds before returning to normal.

During the global live broadcast, no one cheered anymore.

A combined attack from human powerhouses: a celestial spear, a psionic sky-splitting cannon, and a nuclear warhead.

Humanity has played all the cards it could muster.

However, the twelve reconnaissance ships did not fire a single shot throughout the entire operation.

They simply stood there quietly, like twelve spectators high above, indifferently watching a group of primitive creatures display all their weapons one by one.

This silent contempt is more despairing than any mockery.

At that moment, the silver-gray spirit patterns on the surfaces of the twelve reconnaissance ships simultaneously changed direction.

Upon seeing the energy curve, Shen Xinglan suddenly stood up.

"They must retaliate! All orbital platforms, take evasive action immediately!"

The voice just fell.

The bow of the reconnaissance ship closest to Earth slowly split open.

A silver-black needle, only as thick as an arm, protruded from inside the ship's hull.

There was no earth-shattering spiritual pressure, nor any massive energy fluctuation; the light needle simply swept lightly across the outer orbit of Blue Star.

Swish!

A slender silver line streaked across the starry sky.

Thirty-six space-based weapon platforms, built by humanity at great expense, have come to a standstill.

The next moment, all the platforms broke off neatly from the center, the cuts as smooth as mirrors, and the internal psionic cores exploded.

Clusters of firelight bloomed in the outer orbit of the blue planet.

All thirty-six space-based platforms were destroyed.

Before humans could react, the second reconnaissance ship changed course.

A silvery-black beam of light fell toward the moon.

The surface of the moon.

A massive mountain peak, tens of kilometers in diameter, was swept by the light.

That mountain was as if it had been wiped away from reality by an invisible giant hand.

All that remained was a smooth, deep, enormous crater.

Sky Dome Deep Space Psionic Observatory.

A researcher stared at the test data, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"There was no high temperature reaction, no shock wave, and the entire structure of the mountain was broken down. If this had hit the city..."

"No existing psionic barrier can stop it."

Inside the conference hall.

Everyone's face turned pale.

That's the difference.

Humanity has exhausted all its trump cards.

It couldn't damage the reconnaissance ship in the slightest.

The opponent only launched a single, random attack.

It could destroy the entire orbital weapon system, and what's even more terrifying is that...

These twelve ships in front of us are just reconnaissance vessels.

The seven main ships have not yet arrived.

……

Linjiang City.

First Middle School

There was no class in the classroom.

All the students were watching the global live stream on the screen.

Lu Xiaochuan stood by the window, where the ginkgo leaves outside swayed gently.

A young student, his voice trembling with tears.

"Even nuclear bombs can't destroy them. If those aliens come, will we all die?"

The teacher in the classroom opened his mouth, but didn't know how to answer.

on the street.

More and more vehicles flocked to the shelter.

Long queues formed in front of supermarkets and supply stores.

Some people scrambled for food, while others dragged their luggage, preparing to leave the city.

But the entire Earth is locked on by an alien fleet, so where can they escape to?

A little girl nestled in her father's arms, gazing at the twelve warships suspended outside the moon on the screen.

"Dad, weren't there supposed to be many powerful Awakened Ones? Why can't they still beat them?"

The man hugged his daughter tightly, his voice hoarse, and said, "It's alright, we still have our country, and we still have the Lord of the Azure Lotus."

In the end, even he himself lacked confidence.

In the United States, large numbers of people flocked to federal underground shelters.

The military cordon was repeatedly rammed by the crowd, some of whom held up signs covered with writing.

[Hand over the Lord of the Azure Lotus to the Star Sea Fleet; we cannot allow all of humanity to perish with the Dragon Kingdom!]

European Union.

Churches and ancient temples were packed with people.

Some religious organizations have publicly claimed that the Starry Night Hunting Court is a divine messenger descended from outer space.

Humanity can gain the protection of the Star Sea Civilization by voluntarily handing over the Lord of the Azure Lotus.

On the global internet, a topic surged to the top of all platforms.

[Even twelve reconnaissance ships couldn't destroy it; with seven main ships arriving, how long can humanity survive?]

Despair, fear, chaos.

It spreads along the network and through cities, reaching every corner of the blue planet.

Just then.

All screens worldwide flash simultaneously: mobile phones, televisions, computers, city billboards, and military communication equipment.

All the psionic terminals within the Ninth Bureau have gone out of control.

A withered ancient tree totem, its crown severed by a giant blade and its roots pierced by black and silver chains, appeared in the center of the screen.

Immediately afterwards, footage of the four rounds of attacks launched by humans was replayed.

The space-based spear turned to dust, the psionic cannon pierced the ship's hull, and the nuclear warhead was absorbed.

The towering mountain and river sword shattered with a deafening roar, shattering all the failed attempts.

These were deliberately amplified and repeatedly played by Xinghai Lieting.

Then lines of cold, silver text appeared on the screen.

[Civilization ID: Remnants of the Ancestral Realm]

[Civilization Level: Zero.]

Space technology: primitive.

[Highest Individual Life Level: Early Stage of the King Realm.]

[Civilization Threat Level: None.]

[Difficulty of removal: Low.]

The last line of text appears.

[It is recommended to preserve some intelligent beings as nourishment for the Jianmu tree.]

The entire blue planet.

A deathly silence fell over the bridge of the Zhezhi.

Theros sat on the throne made of black tree roots.

Looking at the data transmitted back by the twelve reconnaissance ships.

"Is this the power of the Ancestral Realm now?"

The Bone Wing Commander bowed his head and said, "Except for the Azure Lotus King, which has not yet made a move, the other threats have been recorded."

"Humanity's strongest combined attack can only cause a slight tremor in the phase barrier. Should we immediately unleash a cleansing strike?"

Seros shook his head: "No rush. Fear will dismantle our ancestral realm for us. It will save us a lot of trouble if they send out the Azure Lotus and the Jianmu tree themselves."

His vertical pupil between his brows opened, and his figure appeared on all screens around the world through twelve reconnaissance ships.

[Ancestral beings.]

Your force assessment is now complete.

You have no right to resist.

[Hand over the remains of the towering Jianmu tree.]

[Shoulder the origin of the Taiyin Town.]

[Hand over the newly born Azure Lotus King.]

[The Starry Sea Hunting Court can retain 30% of the ancestral realm's population and grant them the status of subordinate star citizens.]

Those who refuse to return the item will be removed after twelve days.

The screen disappeared, and global communications returned to normal.

But the real chaos had only just begun. In the Global Federation conference room, the leader of South Korea was the first to stand up.

"The Starry Sea Hunting Court's demands are very clear: they want the Jianmu tree, the Taiyin Origin, and the Lord of the Azure Lotus."

"These things are all in China. China cannot sacrifice billions of people worldwide for its own interests!"

Representatives from several small countries spoke up in succession: "That's right, exchanging a spiritual plant and a seed for 30% of humanity to survive means at least civilization can continue!"

"We can't stop the Starfleet at all. Continuing to resist will only lead to our deaths!"

Inside the conference hall.

The number of people advocating surrender is increasing.

Some have even suggested that a global federation form a joint force to enter Heilong Mountain and capture Chu Zhou.

Wang Jun laughed angrily: "Who was it that just said they wanted to negotiate with the alien fleet? They said they'd leave you 30% of your population, and you actually believed them?"

The South Korean leader gritted his teeth and said, "At least it's better than them all dying!"

Old Ye raised his hand, and the image on the main screen of the conference hall changed rapidly, showing Shen Xinglan's analysis of the Zhezhi ship's hull to everyone.

Deep within the black and silver hull.

It retains the primal energy of mountains, oceans, cities, and countless living beings.

There are even hundreds of millions of lingering echoes of souls.

Old Master Ye's voice was heavy: "The Zhezhi is no ordinary warship. Its hull comes from a mountain range of a world, and its energy comes from the ocean and ley lines of that world."

"The countless black branches within the ship's hull were forged from the flesh and soul of the beings of that world."

"That world may have once chosen to surrender, but in the end it didn't even leave behind a single intact piece of land."

The voices of the surrender faction faded away, and Xuanweizi's projection looked at the crowd: "Subordinate planetary citizens, their souls extracted and hung inside enemy ships, how are they any different from corpses living like this?"

Zhou Zhenshan's black and gold city-guarding token lit up in his palm: "Today we hand over the Lord of the Azure Lotus, tomorrow we will hand over Lingnan, the day after tomorrow Kunlun, the East Sea, and the entire Nine Provinces. After we have handed over everything we can, the last thing we will hand over is our own lives."

He stood up, his voice echoing throughout the conference hall: "The Dragon Kingdom will not hand over the Jianmu tree, nor will it decide the life or death of the Azure Lotus Lord."

"If the Starry Sea Hunting Court wants to enter the Ancestral Realm, it will have to step over the corpses of the Dragon Kingdom."

After saying that, Zhou Zhenshan cut off the communications of some of the surrender faction and picked up the black gold token.

"Activate the Kyushu Level 1 Border Defense Order; open the highest-level shelters in all cities."

"Military, Bureau Nine, the Psionic Academy is under state of war."

"Investigate thoroughly all acts of damaging leyline nodes, transmitting coordinates to the Star Sea Hunting Court, and attacking the reporter from Qinglian Seal."

"From this moment forward, the Ancestral Realm Star Wars officially begin."

……

Heilong Lake.

The fears and arguments from the outside world did not cause the lake to ripple in the slightest.

The ten lotus leaves of the Chu boat quietly unfolded.

He witnessed all four rounds of attacks launched by the human race from beginning to end.

Within the Green Lotus Cave.

The only tender green leaf on the young shoot of the Jianmu tree was trembling incessantly.

It recognized those ships, and it recognized this totem, which was the fear imprinted deep within its very being.

A silvery-green root from Chu Zhou hung down, blocking the young bud of the Jianmu tree.

"What are you afraid of? You are now in my cave. No one can take you away without my permission."

The tender leaves of the Jianmu tree gradually stopped trembling.

A very thin root emerged from the spiritual soil and gently wrapped around Chu Zhou's roots.

In the ancient city of Zhenyuan, the strange stone looked at the twelve reconnaissance ships reflected in the water mirror, its scarlet stone patterns flashing continuously.

"Phase membrane? I didn't expect Starsea Hunter Court to even have something like this on their reconnaissance ships."

Chu Zhou asked, "Phase boundary membrane?"

Strange Stone said, "By hiding the real ship hull in the void interlayer, what the outside world sees is just a coordinate projection."

"They can see it, but they can't touch it, so no matter how strong the human attacks are, they can't actually hit the ship."

Chu Zhou's divine sense landed on the water mirror, and the scene of the human race's four-round attack rewound once again.

"If it couldn't be touched at all, why did Xuanweizi's final sword strike cause cracks in its boundary membrane?"

The strange rock paused, and Chu Zhou's roots lightly touched the water mirror.

Whenever the twelve reconnaissance ships are attacked.

A silver dot of light would briefly appear in the void behind the ship.

Those points of light were extremely faint.

If it weren't for the Earth Vein Reflection Power of the Mountain and River Town Emperor Seal, Chu Zhou wouldn't have been able to discover it.

After seeing the points of light clearly, Guai Shi's voice turned serious: "Astral anchors are used by the Star Sea Hunting Court to fix the ship's coordinates. As long as the astral anchors are not broken, the ship will not truly fall into real space."

"These astral anchors are hidden in the void's rifts; even if humanity sees them, they have no way to..."

The strange rock stopped halfway through its story.

It looked at the young Jianmu tree in the Azure Lotus Cave. The Jianmu tree that reaches the heavens has roots that can penetrate all realms and spatial layers. Fujiwara no Miyaji could not stop it at all.

Just then, a system notification appeared in front of Chu Zhou.

[Ding! Starsea Hunter's Court phase hull detected.]

[Twelve astral anchors detected.]

[The towering Jianmu tree sensed the presence of its nemesis.]

[Temporary Acquisition Ability: Jianmu (建木) Defines Boundaries.]

[Jianmu Boundary Determination: Can lock onto void coordinates and forcibly drag phase targets into the real world.]

Within the Azure Lotus Cave.

The young shoots of the Jianmu tree swayed gently.

Twelve tiny, bluish-green roots rose from the depths of the sacred soil.

In front of each root.

A blurry silver dot of light appeared on each one.

Chu Zhou looked towards the moon.

Ten lotus leaves slowly unfolded.

The Emperor's Seal of Shanhe Zhenyuan rose from Black Dragon Lake.

Five-colored divine light illuminated heaven and earth.

The strange stone reminded, "Lotus Demon, the Star Sea Hunting Court is deliberately destroying the will to resist of the beings of the Ancestral Realm by allowing the human race to attack."

Chu Zhou's voice was calm: "I know that it's much easier to kill the prey one by one than to lay down their weapons."

"Unfortunately, they chose the wrong hunting ground."

The outer edge of the moon.

The twelve reconnaissance ships are still scanning the Blue Star.

Inside one of the reconnaissance ships.

The captain is transmitting Terran military data back to the Broken Branch.

Suddenly, alarms blared inside the ship.

【warn! 】

[The Astral Anchor has been locked onto by an unknown root system!]

[The phase coordinates are shifting!]

[The ship is about to break free of the void interlayer!]

Captain Hunter Court abruptly stood up: "How is this possible? How could a Level 0 civilization, which doesn't even have space technology, possibly touch the astral anchor!"

The next moment, a pale green root appeared out of thin air on the outer side of the moon. Compared to the thousand-meter-long hull, the root appeared extremely small.

But the moment it appeared, it pierced through the spatial membrane and tightly bound the astral anchor hidden deep in the void.

The second, third, and twelve other dark green roots appeared behind the twelve reconnaissance ships.

Inside the Broken Branch, Theros suddenly rose from his throne, his vertical pupils fixed on Blue Star.

"The power to stabilize the heavens and the earth? That seed... it has actually awakened?"

at the same time.

All the screens on Earth flickered again.

The projection of Theros disappeared.

In its place lies a tranquil Black Dragon Lake.

In the heart of the lake, ten-petaled blue lotuses bloom quietly.

Chu Zhou's gentle yet clear voice resounded throughout the world: "You're done fighting? Then it's my turn."