Chapter 445: Assault on the Starflower

The teleportation spot Luke picked was perfectly hidden. The four of them appeared out of thin air—no one noticed, and nothing dangerous happened.

Zhou Ping and Deguen weren’t surprised. After all, the Master of the Omniverse Market was nearly omniscient. There was no way to hide a transfer from the Divine Realm. If Luke ever tried any funny business, they’d get yanked right back into the transaction space.

What really bothered the group was the thick miasma of magic power in the air, the crushing laws of the continent that pressed on their bodies, and the sense of being rejected by the very land itself. It left them feeling very out of place.

As they frowned, a faint hum echoed from above. A brand-new, improved goblin airskiff slowly descended, and Luke’s familiar voice rang out from inside.

“Welcome to the Silver Goblin Empire, honored guests!”

The words sounded grand and formal, but coming from Luke—short, shifty, and more than a little goofy—they just didn’t sound right.

……

Meanwhile, unlike Zhou Ping and Deguen who felt uncomfortable, Song Chi was completely unaffected in the Omniverse Market.

All his attention was on the Silver Goblin Empire’s floating continent through their eyes.

Having access to all-knowing perception as the administrator of the Divine Realm Task Platform, he could see and feel everything through Deguen and the others. He’d already made some quick judgments about the Silver Goblin Empire’s floating continent.

“With this level of fundamental rejection from the laws of the land, and the heavy magic presence, I’d bet this Silver Continent is somewhere between peak level six and the threshold of level seven. Hard to pin down the specifics right away, though.”

Meanwhile, Deguen and the others were already moving to the next step.

Skyhawk Province—a regular province under the Silver Goblin Empire. Decades ago, it was barely considered low-tier, but in recent years it had grown at lightning speed.

From aboard the airskiff, Zhou Ping and his companions gazed curiously at the world below.

What grabbed the Night Elf’s attention were the massive cylindrical towers hundreds if not thousands of meters high, each one belching thick black smoke from its tip. She wrinkled her brows, covered her nose and mouth, and did her best not to breathe the harsh, burning air.

She was a Night Elf—not quite as fanatic as Wood Elves when it came to environmental issues, but she still hated mindless destruction like this.

“What exactly are these stone pillars supposed to be?”

Before she could answer, the four-star Treant beside her beat her to it.

Luke glanced over, his face breaking into a proud smile.

“Those are exhaust stacks, hooked right up to our latest magitech steel foundries beneath. Cutting-edge stuff from my Silver Goblin Empire…”

He was getting enthusiastic now. These installations had once been rare here in Skyhawk Province, but thanks to the steady flow of riches from the Viscount’s House, the region had totally transformed.

Nowadays, the core magitech factories under the Viscount’s House churned out War God Mechs of their own. For the Silver Goblin Empire, that was the standard to measure the power and heritage of any noble family.

The only problem: building War God Mechs was painfully slow, eating up massive amounts of resources, money, and time for every single one.

Deguen and the others, new to this continent, didn’t know or care much about all that. All they knew was that every minute here cost Divine Realm Points. The only thing on their minds was finishing the mission fast.

“Luke, let’s not waste time. Shall we just get moving?”

Luke didn’t mind at all.

He wanted to hurry more than anyone—this mission’s reward was a rare Red Oddity! Whether he brought it home to his family or kept it for himself, it would be a massive prize. If he could trade it for his very own War God Mech, even better.

The upgraded airskiff banked sharply and shot toward the far reaches of the sky.

No one knew how long they flew before the continent’s floating shield finally came into view.

Just then, Zhou Ping suddenly spoke up:

“What’s that? Some kind of special wind barrier?”

Everyone around him looked surprised.

“You’ve never seen one before? That’s a floating continent shield. It seals the whole land off from the outside—standard defense on any mid- to high-tier floating continent.”

Zhou Ping shook his head.

“It’s different on the Primeval Continent. My master says the deep sky holds a deadly wind barrier only Nascent Soul cultivators at the fourth stage can cross!”

The little exchange didn’t slow them down. Soon, the improved airskiff burst out of the Silver Continent.

They called it an improved model because the core magitech factories under the Viscount’s House had modified it so it could fly freely through the outer starfields.

And as for traveling through the stars? That was already handled.

The Silver Continent was huge—measured in light-years. Just getting from one province to another meant crossing hundreds of billions of kilometers. Naturally, the goblins had long since mastered spatial gate technology. Thanks to the Viscount’s House’s investment in deep-space exploration, a string of gates had already been set up all the way to their destination: the legendary Starflower.

“So this is the ‘starfield’ you all keep talking about…”

As soon as they left the floating continent’s shield, Zhou Ping dropped his usual calm demeanor, eyes wide with curiosity as he took in the silent splendor of the universe.

Back on the Primeval Continent, layer after layer of wind storms sealed the land off entirely. Not even Nascent Soul experts could cross into the cosmos beyond.

In fact, probably only the Sect Master of the Luofu Sword Sect—a true Transformation Lord—had ever seen the real starfield.

Zhou Ping had already explained this before, so the others didn’t ask again.

But just then, Luke, who’d been pondering something for a while, suddenly spoke:

“Zhou Ping, if your Luofu Sword Sect ever wants to explore the stars, I might be able to help.”

He launched into a quick pitch about a special windbreaker ship the empire had long ago developed.

According to Luke, the windbreaker was first built to conquer Hurricane Province. Its top-notch resistance to gales and windstorms made it ideal for groups like the Luofu Sword Sect, should they ever want to branch out into star exploration.

“Alright, I’ll mention it to the Sect Master!”

Zhou Ping agreed readily. After all, he’d heard endless tales of the Sea of Stars, and the idea of journeying to a place overflowing with treasures and rare materials had never lost its allure. If the windbreaker ship could really carry them into the Starsea, he was all for it.

Of course, Luke wasn’t being purely altruistic here.

If the windbreaker proved useful, the Luofu Sword Sect would need to order them in bulk. Then there’d be maintenance, spare parts, magitech trades—all sorts of follow-up business opportunities.

They chatted as the airskiff leaped through gate after spatial gate, getting further and further away from the Silver Continent.

Several hours later, after passing through one last gate, they finally reached their destination.

At the edge of vision, deep in the black Sea of Stars, a gigantic flaming-red flower rooted itself in the void—so massive, it defied description.

“That’s the Starflower! A level five cosmic plant. Its greatest threat is the infectious pollen spores it unleashes—once the battle starts, don’t hold back. If we hesitate, we’re doomed.”

A rare gravity settled onto Luke’s face. He knew all too well how monstrous a level five cosmic plant could be.

But when he glanced over at their team’s four-star Treant—who was staring, entranced, at the Starflower—his tension eased just a bit.

Swish, swish, swish!

Multiple energy signatures surged out. Deguen, the Night Elf, the Treant and the others all launched themselves from the airskiff.

At this point, everyone had to give it their all. They’d need to unleash the full extent of their personal powers—which meant hunkering inside the airskiff wasn’t an option.

After a short wait, Luke climbed into his Type-II War God Mech and charged out after them.

In the starfield, the moment Luke gave the attack order, the rest—already coiled for action—let loose with everything they had.

The War God Mech’s twin arms leveled a high-powered magitech beam rifle, Deguen gripped a red-glowing trident, while the Night Elf readied her unique bow…

Swish, swish, swish!

Deadly blasts of energy roared out, powerful beams converging on the distant Starflower.

They chose their attack position with care—just far enough to slow the spread of the toxic spores if the Starflower counterattacked, but still within their own optimal fighting range.

It was a perfect balance—close enough that all five could strike, far enough to keep the danger at bay, maximizing their damage output.

Cosmic plants like the Starflower didn’t react as quickly as flesh-and-blood beings. Even after the initial barrage caused mayhem, the Starflower didn’t respond at all—until the attacks slammed into its stem.

Whoooo!

Energy erupted. A shockwave blasted out, and the Starflower finally responded: rings of rosy power rippled outward from its blazing petals.

But before it could retaliate, Luke barked at the Treant:

“Now!”

The Treant, who’d been holding back, suddenly unleashed a wave of pure green power.

It was pure wood energy. Not especially damaging, really.

But when it hit the Starflower’s petals, the prior spread of pink energy stopped dead—like it’d run smack into a natural enemy.

Seeing this, relief flashed across Luke’s face, and the attacks from his team only became fiercer.

In all the time since the Divine Realm Task Platform had gathered its 1.5 million players, and despite more than twenty four-star alien competitors with market tokens, why had Luke insisted on taking the Treant—a specialist in melee, not ranged combat?

There was a reason.

Treants spent their whole lives tending plants. Not only could they communicate with them, they could even control or suppress almost any plant in a pinch.

And right now, the Treant’s abilities were suppressing the Starflower’s deadly pollen spores.

“Hurry! I can’t keep this up for long!”

The four-star Treant bellowed.

The team glanced at each other—then, all at once, unleashed their deadliest moves.

The War God Mech stashed its rifle, twin shoulder plates flipping open to reveal dark missile ports underneath.

These new magitech missile launchers packed the power of a peak four-star weapon.

Meanwhile, the Night Elf drew back her special black longbow, gathering untold amounts of darkness law into a single, pure energy arrow.

Deguen’s naga form erupted, pushing its alien bloodline to the brink and surpassing average naga feats by a considerable margin.

His red trident expanded with him, pulsing with mounting strength.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The barrage of supercharged attacks smashed into the Starflower’s stem, sending it trembling. It was a sure sign they were inflicting serious injury—triggering even more violent retaliation.

Sure enough, the Treant’s restraint faltered, and a tidal wave of pollen power surged forth once more.

“Throw everything you’ve got at it! If those spores reach us, we’ll have no hope left!”

Luke yelled, everyone unleashing at full speed—their current distance kept them safe for now, but the pink miasma kept creeping closer.

The group’s desperation mounted as time ticked away.

The pollen cloud drew ever nearer—but the Starflower refused to weaken, its regenerative powers nothing short of incredible.

Right then, the Night Elf’s hand flashed with red light. A black surge burst outward, forming a shadowy dome that shielded the party.

“It’s a Domain of Darkness—it’ll block out the spore effect for a while, and even amp our powers. But it won’t last long. Zhou Ping—now!”

As she explained, she glanced at Zhou Ping. Instantly, Luke, Deguen, and the Treant all swung their gazes toward him too.

Why had Luke brought Zhou Ping along on this mission, even though he was only a third rank and lacked supporting machinery? Why hadn’t Deguen and the others objected?

There was a good reason.

With everyone staring, Zhou Ping stopped hiding. He channeled his mana, slapped his waist, and pulled something from his storage pouch.

It looked like an oversized talisman, but unlike ordinary charms, this one was multi-use and crafted by his own sect’s master. On the Primeval Continent, they had a special name for it:

Talisman Treasure.

A late-Transformation Lord had crafted this talisman, imbuing it with the power to unleash a full-scale attack equal to any late five-star beast, every time it was triggered.

His energy roared as it flooded into the golden-purple talisman. Simultaneously, a gigantic phantom sword appeared above the Domain of Darkness.

Its razor-sharp aura swept the cosmic battlefield. Even with the protective field, Zhou Ping’s team felt their skin prickle like they were being slashed.

No one matched the Luofu Sword Sect’s master in swordsmanship. Naturally, his Talisman Treasure was sword-based as well.

“Luofu Ghostcleaver—go!”

Zhou Ping shouted, and the ten-thousand-meter crystal sword shot out, gathering endless swordlight as it cut a deep rift in the vacuum.

The others saw only a flash—for the next instant, the phantom sword bridged the gap, slamming into the Starflower’s stem dead-on.

The dark cosmos flared with light. Sword intent keened through the emptiness.

As the keen faded and the sea of sword energy withdrew, there was no need to check—the swirl of deathly pink clouds collapsed, and the whole party erupted in cheers. If the pollen cloud faded on its own, it meant the main body was completely dead.

“We did it!”

Inside the War God Mech, Luke whooped for joy, flailing his arms in celebration like an excited child.

Deguen and the others weren’t far behind. Grins broke out all around.

It was a close call, but in the end, everything had worked out.

For the next half hour, no one rushed to get close. They circled and checked to be sure the Starflower was truly dead before cautiously approaching.

“As agreed, Eisen, you get the Starflower’s level five life crystal. The rest of us split one red oddity apiece!”

“Right!”

No one objected to the pre-arranged deal. Carefully, they extracted the Starflower’s heart—it was critical for redeeming their rewards later, so there was no room for mistakes.

Next, Eisen the four-star Treant searched the Starflower’s remains for seeds.

A cosmic plant like that, if grown, would become a trump card for its owner.

And as for the usual glacial growth speed of cosmic flora?

That was no worry—deep in the Treant courts, special methods let them massively accelerate plant growth.

Sure enough, Eisen actually dug up a Starflower seed, storing it with utmost care.

Once their business was done, the party zipped back to the Silver Continent via airskiff, then instantly teleported to the Divine Realm player marketplace.

Honestly, Zhou Ping and Deguen would’ve liked to spend a little time sightseeing, but Luke couldn’t wait—he just wanted to hand in the quest and finally claim one of those legendary Starsea Oddities he’d had his eye on.

The Divine Realm player marketplace was livelier than ever since hitting 1.5 million users. And when crowds saw Deguen and the others appear on the teleportation platform, a tidal wave of excited Starsea aliens erupted in chatter and cheers.