Chapter 545: Storm on the Horizon: The Song Clan Prepares for War

The news hit suddenly. Song Chi would be lying to say he wasn’t shaken, yet his face betrayed nothing.

After a moment of silence, he asked,

“Do we know when, exactly?”

Whitebrow’s voice stayed icy as ever, but he gave a rough estimate.

“Within a hundred years, most likely.”

A hundred years… Song Chi let that sink in, choosing not to ask further. The two of them waited in silence.

Never once did Song Chi doubt Whitebrow’s words. Instead, a chill ran through his heart as he started thinking about how he and his family should prepare.

Compared to an all-out war with the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon Civilization, everything they’d faced in the Tianpan Galaxy was child’s play. Those demons controlled an entire galaxy cluster stretching nearly a billion light-years. Wars on this scale were brutal and dangerous beyond measure. The difference between being ready or not couldn’t be overstated.

With that in mind, Song Chi sent a quick telepathic message to a Doomstar operative he’d stationed on the Dragon‑Spine Continent.

…

Dragon-Spine Continent, Azure Moon Estate.

Song Chao spotted the Fourth-Tier Doomstar leaving his son’s courtyard and heading his way. He immediately knew Song Chi needed him for something important.

The Fourth-Tier Doomstar wasted no time, speaking directly in the common Starsea language.

After listening, Song Chao’s expression turned grave.

According to the Doomstar, this was a major matter—he’d have to visit the Family Ancestral Hall to consult the Elder.

Knowing what was at stake, Song Chao didn’t hesitate for a second and summoned his ship.

The Azure Skies was still just a cruiser. Even though Song Chi had long since loaded up his parents’ Torch Seeds to the orange tier, neither Song Chao nor Chen Lixia had tried advancing their ships to the Zhulu‑class.

Still, after over two centuries, the Azure Skies and the Dragonfly had each reached their limits as cruisers. The two had already decided—soon, they’d attempt their warship advancement quests.

Once the Doomstar operative was on board, the Azure Skies shot into the sky.

Dragon Spine Sacred Mountain, Dragon Whale Hall.

Song Wujian received Song Chi’s signal without hesitation and immediately activated the Chaotic Mist ability of the Dragon Whale Hall.

Moments later, Song Wujian’s face grew intensely serious.

“How reliable is this information?”

“Nine out of ten at least.”

With the Doomstar giving such a clear answer, a thoughtful light flickered in Song Wujian’s deep-set gaze.

After a long pause, he nodded slightly.

“Alright, I understand. That means our whole clan needs to get ready. A hundred years isn’t that bad; we’ll have time to do a lot.”

“Besides, Chi, you should focus on your tasks right now. Don’t worry about the family—leave it to us!”

“Understood.”

…

Standing atop the Civilization Wall, Song Chi felt a subtle relief after giving the news to the clan elder. The news was daunting, but a hundred years meant time to prepare—it wasn’t all bad.

The most crucial thing was this: as long as the Song Clan could make the right preparations, they stood a real chance of gaining from the oncoming war.

If they could carve out even the tiniest share from the clash of two top civilizations, it would transform the Song Clan, bridging their foundational gap and earning them a spot among the true Immortal Houses.

If they played it boldly enough, the spoils might even pave a future path to contend for a place among the civilization’s giants.

As his mind raced, a sudden spatial disturbance pulsed from behind. Turning, Song Chi saw the huge metal beast step out from the swirling portal.

It was the reception battleship sent for Song Chi and company—a Star-Annihilator-class ship from the Beidou Main Hall.

The Star-Chaser Moonrider.

“Whitebrow, Jingzhe, let’s get on!”

No time was wasted. The Star-Chaser Moonrider’s hatch opened the moment it exited the portal, and an unhurried summons drifted to Song Chi and his companion.

Once they confirmed this was the main hall’s ship, Song Chi and Whitebrow gathered their ether, lifting themselves into the air with fifth-tier force and quickly boarding the ship hovering above.

As the hatch sealed behind them, another surrounding spatial fluctuation hinted at their imminent jump.

Before Song Chi could collect his thoughts, a soft, syrupy female voice drifted from nearby.

“Second phase jump is commencing. We’re heading to the Tianxuan Star Tower—please, this way.”

A cat-girl.

And not just any—a sixth-tier cat-girl at that.

Song Chi’s expression stayed calm as he followed the cat-girl, who was clearly a high-level attendant of the Star-Annihilator, to a window-side seat in the cabin. Whitebrow sat next to him.

He wasn’t surprised that the Star-Chaser Moonrider was headed to the Tianxuan Star Tower. There were over two hundred subordinate towers beneath the Beidou Seven Towers banner, and it was only natural to bump into other members on mission.

Song Chi was actually more interested in the other passengers behind him. Judging by their attire, they clearly weren’t average.

Members from other Star Towers?

Or maybe relatives of the Star-Chaser Moonrider’s captain?

Perhaps picking up on his and Whitebrow’s curiosity, the sixth-tier cat-girl, before leaving, explained:

“Those behind are also part of the Beidou Seven Towers. They too are on assignment.”

Song Chi nodded in thanks, but didn’t pay them further mind.

Thanks to the Star-Annihilator’s Crew License, everyone’s ether energy was now sealed. It was impossible to get an accurate read of anyone else.

…

Dragon-Spine Continent, Dragon Whale Ancestral Hall.

With a flicker of Song Wujian’s will, waves of energy began to roll across the grand hall’s ceiling.

Not every throne reacted—only a few seats responded to the call.

Within seconds, projections began appearing in midair.

Counting Song Wujian, there were seven in total by the end.

Song Wujian, Song Shiyuan, Song Xingru, Song Dingbang, Song Tianhao, Song Tianshu, Song Xuancang.

Save for Song Chi, the entire core of the Song Clan’s main branch on Dragon-Spine Continent was now gathered.

Suddenly summoned, most of them had no idea what was happening. But seeing the lineup, Song Shiyuan and the rest understood something major was up.

Before anyone else could speak, Song Xingru voiced her concern.

“Where’s Chi? I thought he could travel freely between the continents now?”

To this, Song Wujian replied honestly:

“Chi’s busy at the moment, but today’s meeting is actually about him.”

“Chi just received word from the Yaoguang Star Tower. Our Torch Human Civilization is preparing to…”

Song Wujian explained the details in full, then paused, giving everyone time to process the earth-shaking news.

“All-out war with the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon Civilization within a hundred years? Chi’s sure about this?”

“If so, Elder, you need to rush advancement to Star-Annihilator Captain. Wars of this scale make a captain’s presence absolutely crucial!”

“Agreed. We’ll need to push everyone else’s strength as well—so we can survive the coming chaos and maybe make a fortune off the war.”

…

Song Wujian’s words set off a flurry of heated discussion.

Yet despite differing opinions, everyone clearly agreed on one core point.

That was: Elder Song Wujian must try to advance the Calm‑Sea Dragon‑Xiang to Star-Annihilator class before the war.

On this, there was no dispute.

The reason was simple.

Where did Torch Human Civilization get its name?

Torch Seeds, Torch Battleships, Torch Captains, the Torch Network… Since the dawn of the civilization, Torch Source Seeds and their warships have been its very foundation—the biggest pillar of military might.

Even though the Song Clan possessed a Three-Eyed Clan Dominion Flagship, which looked formidable enough, everyone knew it couldn’t compare to the firepower of a true Star-Annihilator in Torch Civilization.

And that’s the crux—if you’re weaker than your rivals, your voice simply doesn’t count. On a battleground spanning two galaxy clusters, falling behind meant facing disaster.

Put plainly, any clan without a real Star-Annihilator Captain on their side is almost certainly cannon fodder when full-scale war breaks out.

Top-tier civilization wars are slaughterhouses, with fronts spanning billions of light-years. Countless would lose their lives.

Who would fill that graveyard? The ancient Immortal Houses with ten-thousand-year legacies?

Anyone who thinks so is just being naive.

After a long debate, Song Wujian spoke again.

“Seems we’re in full agreement. So, it’s set: over the next hundred—no, fifty—years, we’ll go all-in helping the Calm‑Sea Dragon‑Xiang break through to Star-Annihilator. Only that way will we still have time to pursue seventh-tier Guiding Technique training afterwards. Without it, even a half-baked Star-Annihilator Captain might not be accepted by the powers that be.”

At this, even the projections grew solemn as everyone nodded. Song Wujian continued:

“Besides that, we have to strengthen the clan as a whole. Here’s what we’ll do: except for the highest vault, open up every other family treasure house to all members. Everything we’ve saved up these past three thousand years—including the resources seized from the Doomstar Race—it’s about time we put it to work.”

Seated atop her golden throne, Song Xingru hesitated for a moment.

She understood the stakes, but the thought of deploying the clan’s entire thousand-year foundation at once still made her uneasy.

“Elder, isn’t this a bit much? If something goes wrong later, we might not be able to keep the family running. Plus, what if outsiders notice what we’re doing?”

Before Song Wujian could reply, Song Shiyuan spoke up.

“No, it isn’t extreme. The violence of a full-scale war between top-tier civilizations is beyond imagination. One misstep and we’re finished. We have to go all out if we want even a shot at survival. Anyway, with a whole star cluster in play, snatching even a fraction could be enough to make us true Immortal House status. Right now, every bit we spend is for a future payback, ten or a hundred times over!”

He paused, then continued.

“Still, you’re right about one thing—opening up the vaults so directly would naturally draw attention. Best to let each branch handle it through their own vaults, cloaked with confidential mechanisms. That way we can delay any leaks. By the time word gets out, the Four Great Empires will probably have announced it anyway.”

…

Once clan arrangements were settled, the group discussed much more.

This included secret purchases of gene serums, terracotta warriors, slave creatures, starlit drones, and ramping up production of things like Hellfire Mechs.

In short, every order set the great Song Clan machinery grinding at full speed once more.

“Alright, one last—and most important—point.”

“Only a single step remains before the Dragon-Spine Continent becomes a top-tier Floating-land. It’s time to set our plans for the Red Star Continent in motion.”

“The Hidden Vein has already picked out a few perfect origin sites. If we can siphon off even a trace of the Red Star Continent’s Origin Core, it’ll cut the difficulty of our continent’s advancement in half.”

Song Wujian rattled off a string of details, making it clear this task outweighed all the others.

If the Dragon-Spine Continent could advance to grade seven, the resulting energy tides would boost the Calm‑Sea Dragon‑Xiang’s chance of advancing, and make the battleship upgrades for Song Chi and Song Dingbang that much easier.

Still, the Song Clan had spent years planning for this, and they wouldn’t rush it. In the end, Song Shiyuan spoke up.

“We can get everything ready in advance, but the actual operation should wait for Chi’s return. Super-dimensional continents don’t have a Floating-land will, but the commotion caused by extracting the Origin Core will be huge. Our current preparations alone aren’t enough. Only with Chi commanding the Starry Sky Dragon Shark, plus the Dominion Flagship and the Omniverse Market Projection, will it be truly safe!”

No one objected to this plan. After all, it was the fate of the Dragon-Spine Continent at stake—better safe than sorry.

“Let’s do it that way, then. Get everything ready. Once Chi’s back, we move!”

Meanwhile, Song Chi had no idea what was happening back home. After several jumps aboard the Star-Chaser Moonrider, he and the others had already arrived at the Beidou Main Hall.