Chapter 560: New Horizons and Distant Fires
by xennovel“Xiaochi, if I remember right, you’re just over four hundred years old now, aren’t you?”
In just ten short years, you managed to break through the sixth-tier Guiding Technique and became a true Dreadnought Captain. That’s certainly worth celebrating.
But in Song Shiyuan’s eyes, what mattered far more wasn’t this success, but just how young Song Chi really was.
Not even five hundred and with a Dreadnought Captain’s ten-thousand-year lifespan ahead of him, Song Chi’s future looked limitless. As long as everything went smoothly, he had every chance to become a Star-Annihilator-class Captain.
Song Chi nodded and answered softly:
“Yes, Ancestor. I just turned 420.”
While they chatted, someone else stepped into the grand hall.
Song Chi’s Dual Pupils let him instantly see who it was, and a wide smile spread across his face.
“Congrats, big brother! You’ve officially entered the sixth tier of life in the Sea of Stars!”
Before the newcomer arrived, a chuckle drifted through the swirling Chaotic Mist.
“Congratulations to you, too!”
It was Song Yan. Hot on Song Chi’s heels, he’d also broken through with the sixth-tier Guiding Technique.
Song Chi noticed something else—the shadow of Dual Pupils in his brother’s eyes seemed to exert a faint pressure on him.
“Big Brother, did Chongguang just break through to the sixth tier as well?”
“Ha! I knew I couldn’t hide that from you.”
Song Yan emerged from the Chaotic Mist, radiating the unmistakable power of a sixth-tier lifeform.
Beside him, Song Shiyuan’s eyes shone with even greater approval.
Song Yan, one of the Song Family’s twin prodigies, was only a handful of years older than Song Chi—barely four hundred and fifty at most, with terrifying potential to match.
Song Chi wasn’t paying much attention to that. Instead, his gaze locked onto his brother’s eyes—where the shadow of Dual Pupils had taken solid form.
Back when he left the Spirit Beast Sanctuary, he’d brought out two Vermilion Divine Birds, one large and one small. The adult had bonded with Song Wujian, while the smaller one went to Song Yan, who named it Chongguang.
Over two centuries later, Chongguang had broken through to the sixth tier before Chongyu did.
Though surprised, Song Chi didn’t feel much else. Chongyu was long at the peak of tier five and would break through soon enough.
And Chongyu still had an edge—his insights weren’t bound to the secret realm’s laws, so all his potential remained. Both Chongguang and the Old Ancestor’s Chongying were locked at tier six, forever denied tier seven.
The Old Ancestor had always hoped to breed successors for the three Vermilion Divine Birds, but so far, no others had been found.
“Catch, Xiaochi.”
Lost in thought, Song Chi heard Song Yan call out just before tossing something his way.
He caught a crystal stone glowing deep red, its warmth almost searing. Even with his sixth-tier physique, Song Chi could feel the heat burning in his palm.
He didn’t even have to ask. Song Yan quickly explained.
“That’s called the Flame God Fire Crystal. It’s packed with powerful fire-type life energy. Give it to Chongyu and it should help him break through.”
Song Chi brightened.
“Thank you, big brother!”
No hesitation. He gratefully took the Flame God Fire Crystal.
Whether Chongyu broke through or not decided whether Song Chi would quickly gain sixth-tier Dual Pupils—a huge deal.
Fresh from his own sixth-tier breakthrough, he might not have felt a leap like the one from tier three to four, but the next ten years would bring a boost to his law insight. If he could also get the boost from sixth-tier Dual Pupils, it’d make mastering three laws much easier.
After some more conversation, Song Shiyuan cut in:
“Alright, the Clan Elder will need another twenty or thirty years to attempt his breakthrough. Until then, don’t waste the law-acceleration period. Go back home or enter the Dragon-Spine Secret Domain to cultivate your laws!”
…
Neither Song Chi nor Song Yan objected to the Prime Ancestor’s plan. They said their farewells and walked together toward the main hall’s exit.
Just before leaving, Song Chi asked Song Yan,
“Big Brother, what exactly was that place the Ancestor mentioned earlier? Does it have anything to do with that area you talked about, full of extreme fire energy?”
Back on Red Star Continent, Song Yan had questioned him about the limitations of entering and leaving the Market. He hoped to explore a relic filled with such intense fire energy—one even ordinary seventh-tier Dominions struggled to enter. Song Chi thought the Ancestor’s hints matched that place.
Sure enough, at his question, Song Yan nodded slightly.
“You’re right. That fire relic is actually a piece of the ancient civilization’s inheritance I once acquired.”
He paused, then chose not to explain further—just mentioning a connection to a rare Oddity. That alone shocked Song Chi.
“As for the specifics of this ruin, you’ll see for yourself someday. But I will tell you this: outside that relic, I once saw a Golden Fireseed Artifact!”
The words ‘Golden Fireseed Artifact’ made Song Chi’s eyes glint.
If it really was a Golden Fireseed Artifact and could be refined into an Upgraded Fire Source, it’d be worth as much as a black pinnacle warship component in the heart of Torch Human Civilization.
And right now, he was desperate for a sliver of golden Upgraded Fire Source.
Still, Song Chi quickly forced himself to calm down.
First, there was no telling whether they could even reach that relic, let alone obtain the Golden Fireseed Artifact. Even then, who could say if it would become an Upgraded Torch Seed?
What’s more, he wasn’t the only one in need—Song Shiyuan and Song Yan needed it, too.
Forcing himself back to composure, the brothers parted ways.
Before going home to Azure Moon Estate, Song Chi sent Chongyu to a volcanic sixth-tier Origin Geyser on Dragon‑Spine Continent. In such a dense, origin-rich spot, Chongyu’s odds of breaking through would be far higher.
He handed over the Flame God Fire Crystal and summoned a six-star ancient beast protector for Chongyu. Only then did he head for Azure Moon Estate.
…
Omniverse Market, high in the Heavens.
The sixteen-thousand-meter-long Heavenly Ruin hovered in silence. Inside the ship’s control room, Song Chi sat cross-legged on his Dao Comprehension Mat (Imitation) before the virtual Golden Throne. The shadow of Dual Pupils crept into his eyes as he stared at a trace of time law ahead.
With so many buffs in play—and a whopping 440% time-law comprehension boost from the Timepiece Chessboard—Song Chi’s insight into the Law of Time was climbing at a pace visible to the naked eye.
Two years passed with Song Chi sitting perfectly still. Suddenly, sharp rays of brilliance flashed in the depths of his eyes and the shadow of Dual Pupils grew thicker.
“Chongyu broke through! The sixth-tier Dual Pupils are so much stronger!” He didn’t even need to move to know why.
Without further distraction, he kept immersing himself in the laws.
By the third year, Song Chi had pushed his Law of Time insight past 50 percent.
By year seven, Law of Time had climbed to 52 percent.
That year, he switched focus from time to space.
In year eight, his space law mastery—already close to peak—crossed the 70 percent threshold.
Halfway through year ten, space law reached 71 percent.
For the final half-year, he focused on the Law of Light.
At last, his Law of Light capped out at 69.99 percent.
For some reason, he just couldn’t take that final step.
With a month left in that special period, Song Chi visited Yaoguang Star Tower.
He used the Chaos Monument insight slot he’d just earned.
Thanks to that chance, Song Chi finally pushed his Law of Light into mastery.
And so, his ten-year closed-door cultivation was almost entirely complete.
…
Omniverse Market, Heavenly Ruin control room.
Song Chi poured all his recent gains into the Mythic Serpent’s Eternal Guard Scale, powering it up to level seventy.
Next, he slotted in the Golden Blood War Stele and Frost King’s Crown, though he left those unenhanced for now—he still needed to run some tests.
Theoretically, the Mythic Serpent’s Eternal Guard Scale should be enough to block any tracking from the Shang Clan, but that was just theory. Truth always came with surprises.
Song Chi took a deep breath, stored Heavenly Ruin inside his Ancestral Orifice, and exited the Market.
But he didn’t return to Dragon‑Spine Continent. Instead, he headed straight for Saintlight City on the Red Star Continent. He wasn’t about to risk anything.
If he went back to Dragon‑Spine for testing and failed, the Song Family could be totally exposed to the Shang Clan. They’d just stepped up among the Immortal Houses, and the Song couldn’t afford to provoke a beast that’d lasted over two hundred thousand years.
…
Saintlight City, Taibai Trading Co.
Underground battleship summoning chamber.
It’d already been five years since his law-acceleration period and his trip to Red Star Continent.
During those five years, the Shang Clan hadn’t tried tracking him again—so Song Chi waited in anticipation.
This day, like any other, Song Chi was ready to enter the Market for more cultivation—until a faint spatial ripple echoed above him.
He looked up. Through his ship’s panoramic display, he saw a shimmering mirrored chain dart from the void, ancient runes swirling along its length as it sped toward Heavenly Ruin—far too fast to react.
Good thing he’d already installed the Mythic Serpent’s Eternal Guard Scale. The moment the mirrored chain pierced three layers of energy shields and latched onto the hull, golden light blazed from the scale’s surface.
Bathed in golden light, the hull seemed to grow a phantom serpent. The mirrored chain made contact—and in a flash, was dissolved, never touching the real ship.
“It worked!”
Seeing that, Song Chi instantly knew—the Mythic Serpent’s Eternal Guard Scale had blocked the Shang Clan’s remote tracking.
Still, he didn’t take chances. He stowed the ship in his Ancestral Orifice and slipped away from the summoning chamber.
Once again, Song Chi left the Market.
This time, he didn’t go home. He beelined for the Silverplate Floating-land, aiming for the spatial anchor he’d left behind.
Silverplate Floating-land, Silverplate City, Taibai Trading Co.
Same underground summoning chamber, same preparations—Song Chi summoned his ship at the ready, waiting for the Shang Clan’s next attempt.
Last time in Saintlight City, the tracking was blocked—but since the city sat over 120 billion light years from Torch Human Civilization, there could’ve been losses along the way, making the test less reliable.
So this time, Song Chi wanted to double-check.
Luckily, he didn’t wait long—the next tracking effort from the Shang Clan hit fast.
Within the Heavenly Ruin, the Mythic Serpent’s Eternal Guard Scale triggered immediately. Once again, a phantom serpent appeared on the hull.
In the control room, Song Chi—operating through a Voidform Avatar—watched anxiously, silently hoping for success.
This time, the phantom serpent outside his ship was clearly dimmer, its energy heavily taxed holding off the mirrored chain.
But it didn’t matter—the scale held strong. That meant, at least as long as the Shang Clan didn’t change their tracking methods, Song Chi could freely equip the Golden Blood War Stele and Frost King’s Crown.
“Let’s hope the Shang Clan doesn’t suddenly upgrade that mirror component…”
Muttering to himself, Song Chi narrowed his eyes.
It was a risk. But if he could power the scale up to tier eight first, it wouldn’t matter.
Back in the control room, Song Chi’s gaze landed on the two new golden items.
He spent a fortune in titanite crystals and other resources—including two Dominion Souls—to power both up to level seventy.
Once they crossed tier seven, the Golden Blood War Stele and Frost King’s Crown changed dramatically. The Mythic Serpent’s Eternal Guard Scale only had a single unique property, so its stats were mostly unchanged. The other two, though, were a different story.
The Golden Blood War Stele, in particular, saw big improvements to all its effects.
{Blood Frenzy: For every share of blood the warship bathes in from a same-tier unit, firepower increases by 30%. Lasts 30 minutes, up to 20 stacks.}
{War Inspiration: Spend 200,000 Eon Energy Points to push a chosen unit into a battle-fervor state. Temporarily increases combat power by 300% for 60 minutes. Cooldown: 36 hours.}
The Frost King’s Crown boosted ice-law mastery and resistance as always, but Song Chi was interested in its signature trait: Frost Bind.
{Frost Bind: Spend 200,000 Eon Energy Points. Freeze a specific target for 9 seconds. Cooldown: 6 hours.}
A single bind could now lock an enemy for 9 seconds. It wasn’t as fearsome as Zen Seal: External Time Stop, but the cooldown was so short—just 6 hours, and with a 70% reduction from the Timepiece Chessboard, under 2 hours between uses. That sort of convenience was hard to beat.