Chapter 609: The Market’s Call: Shadows Over the Serpent’s Fang

The leaders of both families finally came to an agreement on their objective and launched into another round of detailed planning for future actions.

In the end, both sides decided to bring out their hidden cards, putting most of their forces on the line before the war of civilizations came to a close, hoping to rack up as many contributions as possible. Their aim was to seize opportunities for trading and vying for territory with the likes of Yaohan and the established Torch Civilization noble houses after the war.

Once the final plans were set, the Song and Luo families’ fleets wrapped up their recuperation just as expected and plunged back into the frontlines.

With the push from their joint fleet, the final battle for the Serpent’s Fang Galaxy erupted ten years later.

But things turned out very differently from what they’d pictured. The battle wasn’t a bloodbath, thanks to the Blood Sui Yang Clan’s Star River-class Battleship holding the line. The Eighth-Tier Eight-Armed Serpent Demon of the Serpent’s Fang never showed. With no Eighth-Tier powerhouse tipping the scales, the already faltering serpent demon army of the Serpent’s Fang suffered an expected defeat at the hands of the Tianpan Allied Army.

The decisive battle lasted just five years, ending with the retreat of the remaining serpent forces and the Tianpan coalition completely occupying the Serpent’s Fang Galaxy.

However, since the Star River-class Battleship had gotten involved, there was no way for the Serpent’s Fang to be split solely between the two great kingdoms of the Tianpan Galaxy. A significant slice had to go to the Blood Sui Yang Clan’s Prince Zhenyuan.

This even further confirmed Song Wujian’s suspicions—this was just the beginning. As their fleets pushed deeper into the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon galaxy cluster, more and more factions would worm their way in.

Crowded fields, small portions—there was no escaping the law of diminishing returns.

What mattered even more was that the Corpse Sovereign Clan was being firmly blocked outside Torch Human Civilization’s borders by the Tiannan Fortress and the newly advanced Shenyi Qiongyu battleship. Within just thirty years of stalemate, rumors of their retreat had already spread across the southern star domains of the civilization after decades of buildup.

That news finally put the southern noble houses at ease, letting them shift their full attention to the northern war. As the balance tipped, more and more fleets joined the battle every year, making the struggle for each galaxy increasingly fierce.

…

Omniverse Market.

With the total fall of the Serpent’s Fang Galaxy, all sides were scrambling to loot every corner, and the Song Family fleet was no exception.

Amid the chaos, Song Chi threw himself into mastering the Guiding Technique.

On this particular day, the Full-Attribute Cultivation Chamber surged with violent waves of dark energy, mixed with an overwhelming pressure carrying the aura of life itself.

The wild torrent of energy soon soared to its peak, then the life aura’s pressure shot up even higher in a sudden spike.

A few days later, the doors of the Full-Attribute Cultivation Chamber slid open, and Song Chi stepped out with a warm smile.

After years of hard work, his Guiding Technique finally broke through from level 63 to level 64.

That meant he was one step closer to the Dominion tier—a reason to celebrate for sure.

But Song Chi quickly regained his composure. Now over six hundred, an age that would span two entire dynasties in his past life, he’d gained total control over his emotions through the long march of time.

Compared to his happiness, what mattered more to him now was starting his next round of trading in the Market.

At the very back of the Market, at the Long-Range Random Space Gate Transfer Platform, countless motes of light soared into the sky as Song Chi made his selection.

Within just a few hours, hundreds of thousands of Starsea foreigners had gathered in the Market.

Suddenly, a terrifying energy storm erupted over the heavens, and an unnameable pressure swept over every inch of the Market.

“What’s going on? Is the Master of the Omniverse Market about to wipe us out?”

“Wasn’t the owner behind the Omniverse Market supposed to be a supreme being, always keeping things absolutely fair? Was it all a lie? Were those so-called Market elders just spouting nonsense before?”

The abrupt turn of events sent panic ripping through the newcomers from the Sea of Stars.

Even the regular market-goers were shaken at first, but as they glanced up to see thick purple mist gathering overhead, they caught on fast.

“Calm down! It’s just King Dinghai making a move across starspace. Looks like a Market Elder has used a Market Projection Token to call for help—King Dinghai is answering the summon across the endless void!”

“Exactly, look at that space rift overhead. That’s a classic sign of a trans-temporal intervention!”

With plenty of Market Elders explaining, the Market quickly settled down again. Droves of low- and mid-tier Starsea outsiders stared upwards, eyes shining with awe.

That was the reverence the weak held for the powerful.

To them, such a display of power—acting across the stars—could only belong to an existence far beyond imagination.

Among the alien crowds, one young Starsea native clenched its fists and silently vowed to stay in the Market. Only under the protection of the Master of the Market, a being so mighty, could they grab hold of their own fate and rise up.

…

Meanwhile, far away in an unknown stretch of sea, on a floating landmass surrounded by endless ocean.

In the mysterious waters, a bloody war raged between two powerful deep-sea races—the Deepsea Nagas and the Deepsea Blackstripe Whales.

Deep beneath the sea, more than ten thousand kilometers down, a colossal black whale over ten thousand kilometers long barreled through the depths. Around its body, a terrifying surge of bloodlust mixed with Dominion Power, together creating a zone of indescribable force.

This was a Rules Field, a domain that only a true dominion lifeform could forge after stabilizing their realm and mastering the laws.

With the Rules Field in place, the black whale’s skin lay completely isolated from the water around it—a vacuum belt formed by the twin force of its powerful body and the laws themselves repelling the sea.

That was no small feat, considering how crushing the pressure was at these depths. It spoke volumes about the immense force washing off the black whale’s very skin.

A deafening roar shattered the silence!

The sharp cry sent torrents of water surging forward, twisted by the energy the whale spewed. These became a murderous undertow, chasing after several Sixth-Tier Deepsea Nagas scrambling for their lives.

Though they reacted fast, the area swept up was so vast that even nimble evasion wasn’t enough. One of the nagas got caught up in the underwater current.

With a sickening squelch, the Sixth-Tier Naga’s body was flung forward, blood gushing from its mouth and soon leaking from every pore.

Under this kind of pressure, so deep beneath the sea, its body was already strained to the limit. The surging tide, like a steel beast slamming into its back, finished the job—piling on so much force, it just couldn’t hold on any longer.

“Queen of the Northern Sea, today marks the end of your Northern Sea Court!”

As its attack landed, the black whale bellowed from behind. The sealed waters meant its thunderous voice could echo freely across the seabed.

But what it failed to notice was a small submarine tucked deep within a crevice in a fake seamount, hundreds of thousands of meters away.

Inside the cramped submarine, two figures sat shoulder-to-shoulder.

“So, what do you think—impressive, right? This Deepsea III Model Mana Submarine is built by my Tor family from a top-grade metal found out in the starry sky. Not only is it great at staying hidden, it’s as tough as they come. Forget twenty thousand meters down—even twice as deep, this mana sub could keep on going!”

Short and squat, with two sharp fangs peeking from his lips, Luke’s excitement bubbled over as he tried to pitch every detail to Deku’en beside him.

But Deku’en’s mind was too weighed down with worry for his mother to listen.

“Luke, can we get any closer?”

At that, the goblin fell silent, then shook his head.

“No way. That’s a true emperor of these seas—just like a Starsea Dominator. The pressure rolling off him alone is scarier than all this water.”

“Even the great Luke isn’t worried, so why are you? When the time’s right, your mother will send a message through the mana communicator…”

Before he could finish, a shrill beeping split the silence. A signal was coming in from the Queen of the Northern Sea—they were about to make their move.

No reminder needed. The always-nervous Deku’en instantly poured his energy into the Market Projection Token he was clutching.

As the energy surged, the token began to quake nonstop, and thick swirls of purple mist spilled out.

Soon that endless flood of purple energy gathered over the fake seamount, condensing into a shimmering projection of the Omniverse Market.

Seeing his projection successfully summoned, Deku’en spoke up, torn between respect and desperation.

“King Dinghai of the Market, please deliver justice for the Northern Sea Nagas! In just a few months, that Blackstripe Whale King has slaughtered more than a hundred thousand of our kin. This grudge will never be resolved!”

Hundreds of thousands of meters away, the black whale that had seemed unstoppable just moments ago now trembled. The phantom Market projection made of pure purple mist sent a real chill through its massive heart.

“Eighth-tier…”

Only two words surfaced in its mind, but they were enough to fill its pitch-black eyes with terror.

A great surge shook the waters! The black whale whipped its tail with all its might, unleashing an even more massive surge than before—an underwater torrent aimed straight at the seamount where the mana sub waited.

Inside, Luke and Deku’en both froze. The flood rolling at them felt like a titan rising from the deeps, and even from so far away, it pressed any thoughts of fighting back right out of their minds.

Just as they thought they’d suffocate, a hand made of purple mist suddenly reached out from the Market projection above.

The instant it appeared, the surging tide ahead scattered like it had hit its nemesis. But the hand didn’t stop—it shot forward, chasing after the black whale as it tried to flee.