Chapter 471: Thunderous Retribution Over Whitefrost Fortress

Ignoring the gathering stares around him, Song Chi kept a calm expression, quietly waiting for the two in front of him to reply.

As expected, since the two had been forcibly bound by the Master‑Servant Pact, they quickly handed over a massive pile of resources.

Fourth-Tier Floating-land Origin, Fourth-Tier Doomstar Race Blood Essence, Strengthening Fruit, Titanite Crystal—

Song Chi took each resource one by one. A radiant light shone from his brow as a miniaturized Heavenly Ruin appeared above, hovering silently over everyone’s heads.

At this point, most people had come to their own conclusions, all guessing whether Song Chi or the Song Family possessed some special component for tracing origins.

Swish!

Suddenly, high above Dragon Spine City’s skies—over hundreds of thousands of meters up—a spatial rift tore open. A streak of extreme frosty-blue light shot through it.

At the same time, a fifth-tier frost energy enveloped the entire Dragon Spine City.

Among the crowd, some Zhulu‑class Captains—also fourth-tier—looked up with utter shock.

“That’s not a battleship. This is a fifth-tier enslaved creature attacking from a distance!”

“Are they really that afraid the Song Family might uncover the truth?”

While everyone stood stunned, the frosty-blue beam from the heavens had already cut through hundreds of thousands of meters, stopping less than a hundred meters from Song Chi.

Yet, instead of alarm, the Captains nearby saw something else. Song Chi, directly targeted by the beam, wore not a trace of anger or fear. Instead, the corners of his mouth curved up ever so slightly.

Before anyone could react, Song Chi spoke with a hint of derision—his words clear to every Torch Captain around.

“I’ve been waiting for you!”

No sooner had he finished than, above four thousand meters overhead, a fiery red figure burst out from the Heavenly Ruin, its hull wrapped in a shield of black and white light.

That flaming figure towered over a hundred thousand meters, scarlet skin shrouded in blazing fire. Law power of fire at its peak rippled out, easily erasing the icy beam falling from the sky.

“F‑Fire Giant… That’s a sixth‑tier Fire Giant. Good lord!”

“Nonsense! That’s a Flamewrath Giant—one of the fire‑element titans, not just a regular Fire Giant.”

…

Blocking out the rising tide of gasps, Song Chi issued a rapid order. The Flamewrath Giant’s law of fire surged and condensed into a massive flaming palm. It struck at the distant spatial rift where the icy beam had come from.

Sensing the Flamewrath Giant’s intent, the rift outside Dragon Spine City shrank violently, trying to erase all traces. But just then, a surge of light poured from the Heavenly Ruin, spreading a massive field where everything inside was slowed by several times.

Only Song Chi and the Flamewrath Giant remained unaffected.

It was the Samsara Time Domain!

Before the spatial rift could fully close, the giant flaming palm struck in, reaching right through.

Hmph!

Once time resumed its normal flow, everyone in Dragon Spine City heard a muffled groan echoing down from the sky.

That distant, mysterious fifth-tier ice creature had been injured by the Flamewrath Giant in just one blow.

…

Calamity Star Floating-Land, Public Zone.

Far from Dragon Spine City, beneath a distant castle, a Zhulu‑class cruiser over 3,500 meters long lay in quiet dock.

Vmmm—!

As spatial waves subsided, calm returned to the underground chamber. But the fifth-tier Frost Phoenix standing at one side wasn’t faring well at all.

Thick, raging fire energy clung to its snow-white wings, burning fiercely. Under its assault, the Frost Phoenix was writhing in unspeakable agony.

But the cruiser’s owner had no mind to help. Pale and panicked, he was far too shaken to care about clearing the searing flame from the Frost Phoenix.

With a thought, he shrank the Frost Phoenix’s form and recalled it to his warship, hoping the Torch warship’s interior insulation would shield it from outside searches.

Just then, another Torch Captain—this one radiating a fourth-tier aura—burst into the warship’s summoning chamber.

His face was dark as thunder. Struggling to contain his anger, he snarled,

“How dare you let the Frost Phoenix make a move? Who gave you the nerve?”

Hearing this, the captain inside the cruiser answered in a shaky voice,

“Second Brother, it’s Song Chi… he seemed able, through the resources we tossed out—”

“Seemed? You said it yourself: seemed. Those spoils all came from the expansion war! What do they have to do with my Lü Family?”

Clenching his jaw, the other Zhulu Captain seemed to reach a decision. The fury slipped from his face, replaced by resolve as he glanced at the docked cruiser.

“Listen, Third Brother. Lay low for now, cut all ties with the family—distance yourself from us completely. Another thing: if you want to lower the odds of Song Chi tracing you, get rid of that Frost Phoenix, and do it fast!”

…

Dragon Spine City, above Dragon Spine Commercial Tower.

The first thing Song Chi did upon boarding the Heavenly Ruin was sever the Timepiece Chess’s pairing with the Compass · Trace to Source trait. That silver light on the compass was likely another Timepiece Chess piece, but for now, he still had to hold the city. There was no way he could leave just yet.

Besides, once his watch was over, the Heavenly Ruin also needed to begin its battleship advancement. For at least the next decades, he wouldn’t have the time to hunt for that ‘Timepiece Chess’ piece, so there was no harm in unbinding it for now.

Once the pairing was cut, Song Chi took out a bloodstained frost-white feather, rebinding it to the Compass · Trace to Source trait in place of the Timepiece Chess.

That frost-white feather was just plucked by the Flamewrath Giant from the mysterious fifth-tier enslaved creature behind the rift. With it, Song Chi could surely track down the true mastermind behind these events.

Song Chi had been worried the batch of resources from the plotters wouldn’t be enough for a successful trace. Now, with this feather, his worries vanished.

Shing!

A dazzling golden burst erupted from the Destiny Compass component. As the glow faded, Song Chi’s gaze shifted to the compass’s bronze disc.

A brand new star map had already taken shape, and as expected, now a single light dot was clearly marked on it.

“There you are… hiding like a rat in the gutter!”

He spoke these words right inside the warship’s command center, not bothering to keep them private. Instead, he let the ship’s amplifiers blast them, echoing his voice above all Dragon Spine City.

“He really found them?”

“How’d he do that—track the perpetrator so fast?”

As a wave of shock swept through the city’s Torch Captains, a violent spatial ripple ripped through the sky. The next moment, the massive Heavenly Ruin—over four thousand meters long—vanished from sight.

“Where did he go?”

“Did he just take the fight straight to their doorstep?”

“Now things are getting serious. Looks like the former Seventh Lord Chi won’t let this slide.”

“Wait, he’s storming in all alone, just him and his ship?”

“Who’s really behind all this? Any high-rankers want to show off and see where Lord Chi’s jumped to?”

…

The entire plaza outside the Dragon Spine Commercial Tower erupted into a storm of chatter.

In the crowd, a captain shimmering with the fourth-tier Guiding Technique waved his hand, calling forth his Zhulu‑class cruiser and slipping inside without hesitation.

Whatever component he activated, soon after the bow of his cruiser blazed with light. The radiance slowly gathered and projected a towering light screen over Dragon Spine City.

Captains all across the city looked up, quickly spotting a familiar black-and-white shielded Zhulu‑class cruiser displayed on the screen overhead.

“That’s the Heavenly Ruin—Song Chi’s personal flagship!”

“No doubt about it, that’s Heavenly Ruin. But… where is it sitting? That white castle down there looks awfully familiar.”

As discussion swirled, someone cried out,

“I remember now! That’s Whitefrost Fortress!”

Once someone said it, many others quickly agreed.

“Right, Whitefrost Fortress—belonging to the Lü Family.”

“Seasonal Han Star Domain Lü Family?”

“Exactly!”

With all the explanations going around, nearly every Torch Captain present now finally understood who the Lü Family was.

The Lü Family was a powerhouse clan from the Seasonal Han Star Domain, one of the six central regions of the Yaohan Kingdom, boasting a heritage over five thousand years. They had fearless captains, and at least five battleship-class commanders.

Before the expansion wars, the Lü Family easily outmatched the Songs.

But all that had changed. Now, with tens of thousands of Torch Captains in Dragon Spine City, none sided with the Song Family. They were just here to watch the Lü Family’s fate unfold.

After all, ever since the expansion war, the Morningstar Kingdom’s Song Family of Dragon Spine claimed another dreadnought and, holding a Three-Eyed Clan seventh-tier flagship, had seized eighty thousand light-years of star territory. The two families were leagues apart now.

“I just wonder how far Lord Chi will go this time!”

That was the thought at the heart of every Torch Captain in the city.

But they hadn’t long to speculate. The live scene overhead immediately showed them the answer.

…

“Whitefrost Fortress, Lü Family…”

Inside the Heavenly Ruin’s command center, Song Chi browsed a data sheet from the Sky-Domain AI, eyes cold as he gazed down on Whitefrost Fortress below.

Having finished his review of the Lü Family, he showed no change in his icy demeanor. Oppressive energy filled the ship, and thanks to the power of space and light, his dual pupils practically became tangible.

Anyone witnessing this scene would know: Song Chi was definitely about to strike at Whitefrost Fortress.

The Lü Family was strong, yes, but compared to the present Song Family? Not even close.

There was something else too: this whole incident was a calculated test by many factions. If he didn’t respond with iron-blooded force, such provocations would only become more frequent.

Song Chi couldn’t stay at Calamity Star Floating-Land forever, nor could the Heavenly Ruin remain a mere cruiser. If it advanced to a true battleship, it’d fall under the rules set by the Four Great Super Empires. Then, even if he wanted to make a move, he’d have no chance—unless he was ready to take on all four empires at once.

So, Song Chi’s thinking was simple: before both he and the Heavenly Ruin advanced to fifth tier—before any such limitations kicked in—he’d make his move, and make it count.

This wouldn’t be hesitation or a token punishment, but a direct, overwhelming show of force. He’d use the Lü Family of Seasonal Han as an example, a warning to any monkeys daring to eye the Song Family’s fruit.

With a plan already set, Song Chi’s next actions were swift and ruthless.

Skrrrch—

The warship’s hatch swung open, and that same fiery giant bolted from the hangar.

But to think that was all? Not even close. That was just the beginning.

After the Flamewrath Giant came the One‑Eyed Troll, then a sixth‑tier Doomstar Race beast, over a dozen fifth-tier Doomstar creatures, and more than two hundred fourth-tier Doomstar warriors—

And even that wasn’t the end. Song Chi gave another order from the Heavenly Ruin’s command center.

“Sky-Domain AI System: Full Auto Sub-Brain Mech deployment—activate!”

After the hundreds of fourth-tier Doomstar creatures, a thousand Hellfire Mechs marched out in waves.

In that instant, the skies over Whitefrost Fortress became a solid wall of menacing shadows. Fourth, fifth, and sixth-tier pressures layered on top of one another, making everyone in the fortress feel as if an ancient mountain was pressing down on their backs.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Sharp cracks rang out throughout the fortress. Yet, from the watching crowds of tens of thousands of Torch Captains, no one even managed a smile.

Every single snap was a captain succumbing to the pressure, their bodies shattering on the spot.

In the corners of Dragon Spine City, a few Torch Captains with impure motives found their pupils shrinking in terror.

“H… How could he? This is massac—”

But before he could finish, someone nearby cut in.

“Massacre? Of what? That’s Whitefrost Fortress, Lü Family’s outpost here. This isn’t Whitefrost City—the only people inside are Lü Family’s own.”

“If you dare set others up, you should be ready to pay the price. Pathetic!”

…

“Song Chi, if you dare touch my Lü Family’s commoners—”

A Zhulu‑class cruiser, three and a half thousand meters long, shot from the fortress as its captain roared in outrage.

But Song Chi didn’t give him the chance. Inside Heavenly Ruin, he gave the final order:

“Begin.”

Vmmm—!

Over Whitefrost Fortress, countless forces gathered: fire, doomstar energy, nuclear beams—

As tens of thousands of stunned eyes watched, the thousand figures above unleashed a simultaneous barrage. An endless shower of cannon fire rained down.

Boom, boom, boom!

The thunder of the explosions rippled to the horizon. Under repeated waves, Whitefrost Fortress and even its sixth-tier nuclear shield were reduced to utter dust in less than a minute.

“Damn! Is this how Dragon Spine’s Song Family responds? Brutal!”

“He’s insane… Send word home! Cancel every plan and stop testing the Songs—immediately!”

…