Chapter 658: Gathering of Stars: The Demon Serpent Operation Begins

Song Chi was startled by the message from the Yaoguang Star Order he’d left on Dragon-Spine Continent. He and his family fleet, along with other Immortal Houses, were in the middle of attacking a Seventh‑Tier Floating-land in the Min Serpent Galaxy.

The moment he returned to Dragon-Spine Continent, he checked the Star Order group chat.

“Yaoguang Star Master: @Everyone. All those who previously registered, gather with your true bodies at the Star Tower within three days. The Demon Serpent Continent operation is about to begin!”

“Yaoguang Star Master: @Everyone…”

“Yaoguang Star Master: @All…”

Three consecutive pinned messages—just like always—set the group chat ablaze.

“Scorching Sun (Order #19): It’s finally happening! Where’s the team up army?”

“Red Fox (Order #22): Whoa, whoa, whoa!”

……

Chats like the Yaoguang Star Order group chat were blowing up everywhere—some scattered across the Torch Human Galaxy Cluster, others already at the war front.

From what Song Chi could guess, there were probably similar groups in the other six Star Towers under Beidou Sevenstar Hall.

Tianshu Star Tower, Tianxuan Star Tower, Tianji Star Tower, Tianquan Star Tower, Yuheng Star Tower, Kaiyang Star Tower.

As for the Beidou Main Hall, from what Song Chi knew, it didn’t have low-ranking members. The lowest level there were Star-Annihilator-class Captains—a final gathering place for all the true elite nurtured by the Beidou Seven Halls.

At first, Song Chi had wondered: since the Yaoguang Star Tower handpicked its new members, only the most outstanding talents across the Torch Human Galaxy Cluster could hope to pass. Even so, after over a hundred thousand years, how had it produced just a single Star-Annihilator-class Captain?

Corpse Dog didn’t count—he wasn’t even a thousand years old, only just promoted.

Song Chi meant that legendary Number 2 of Star Tower—the one who once repelled a Dominator-level Void Black Serpent from afar, but whose details nobody ever learned.

It wasn’t until much later, after Song Chi discovered the truth, that he realized the issue wasn’t the Star Tower lacking peak-level talents—it’s that they all converged at the Beidou Main Hall.

Recently, he’d heard after Corpse Dog’s promotion, the former Number 1 of the Star Tower, now the current Yaoguang Star Master, was preparing to leave for the Beidou Main Hall, with Corpse Dog set to take over the Star Master’s role.

Once he confirmed all this, Song Chi made a trip back to the Min Serpent Galaxy to inform the clan elder and others, urging them to get ready.

Three days later. Yaoguang Star Tower, Star Tower Grand Hall.

By the time Song Chi arrived with his true body, close to twenty people had already gathered within the Star Tower.

He wasn’t surprised.

Counting carefully, it’d been over seven hundred years since he’d joined Yaoguang Star Tower. In that time, members had perished far away, but far more had joined. The tower now boasted nearly forty people.

An operation like the Demon Serpent Continent was a true feast. Risky, yes, but filled with treasures, and even snatching a few would give any talented captain—like themselves—a massive boost.

If someone managed to get one of those truly top-tier resources, it could lay a solid foundation for pushing into the Star River level, or even beyond. For any captain still dreaming of the future, this temptation was hard to ignore.

“So, except for those who joined within the last two centuries, did everyone else sign up…?”

Murmuring to himself, Song Chi noticed some were still missing—including their own Star Master. He greeted a few nearby members, then strolled out through the Star Tower doors.

Outside, the familiar sight of the Civilization Wall greeted him.

As a strategic, lower-tier colored Oddity, the Civilization Wall was as precious to a civilization as any upper-tier colored Torch Battleship component.

For over a hundred thousand years, the Torch Human Civilization had relied on it, expanding steadily into the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon galaxy cluster. But in recent centuries, this super space wall hadn’t been used to its full potential.

The reason was simple: the Four Great Empires were advancing so fast the wall simply couldn’t keep up with their rapid expansion.

He let his Dual Pupils activate, peering through the protective barrier cast by the Civilization Wall and into the depths of the Sea of Stars.

With the keen perception of Dual Pupils, Song Chi could notice even the tiniest fluctuation. Though the wall’s outward expansion was small, it never once stopped, always reaching slowly farther into the northern stars.

He had no idea how long it would take for this gradually stretching Civilization Wall to eventually cover the entire Eight-Armed Serpent Demon galaxy cluster. But he was certain it would happen—sooner or later.

A thousand years?

Ten thousand?

Maybe it would take even longer, but there was one thing Song Chi was sure of—he’d live to see the day.

At that point, the Torch Human Civilization would sit atop two complete galaxy clusters, commanding almost two thousand galaxies.

Amid these thoughts, a new idea floated through Song Chi’s mind.

When that day comes, could the Torch Human Civilization challenge for dominance? Or maybe something even greater…

Before his thoughts could drift any further, light footsteps approached behind him, followed by a cool, gentle voice.

“Thinking about why the Civilization Wall expands so slowly?”

“Whitebrow…”

That familiar voice was easy to recognize, and Song Chi’s mind shifted.

He’d always had some guesses about Whitebrow’s identity, but he just nodded along.

With a calm expression, Whitebrow stopped beside him. Her chilly voice sounded again.

“Strictly speaking, that’s just the wall’s own speed of expansion…”

“You mean, its expansion could be boosted by outside factors?”

Whitebrow nodded.

“With the help of a Hyperdimensional Mothership, the Civilization Wall’s expansion could increase tenfold. But right now, with major battles on every front—along the Civilization War Front, deep in the Void at the Bottomless Abyss, or at Emperor City—everywhere needs top power. There’s simply nobody to spare for fueling the wall’s expansion…”

Whitebrow’s explanation contained a trove of information.

Song Chi’s interest was piqued. Most of this was way beyond what he’d ever had access to before, and he found himself wanting to hear more.

But after a moment, he shook those thoughts aside.

He might be out of his depth now, but once the Heavenly Ruin was promoted to Star-Annihilator class—once he became a Star-Annihilator-class Captain—these doors would open for him.

Switching gears, he asked another question.

“Whitebrow, are you joining in the Demon Serpent Continent operation, too?”

He wasn’t just making conversation—Song Chi really was puzzled.

Given Whitebrow’s status, even the rarest resources from the continent shouldn’t be much of a draw. She had no real reason to participate.

Whitebrow nodded again, offering no further explanation.

Song Chi could tell she didn’t want to get into it, so he let it go and quickly steered the conversation elsewhere.

The two chatted about plenty more, right up until Yulong called out from behind.

Every registered Star Tower member had now arrived—including their Star Master. Departure was imminent.

One thing to note: Cui Yulong herself wasn’t participating in the operation. She’d never been a combat fanatic, and while her command ship had once been formidable, years as the Lady of House Changsun had probably dulled that edge.

This time, she’d logged in mainly to keep an eye on the members joining the operation—and, more importantly, for her beloved son, Changsun Yu.

Once House Changsun’s top prospect, Changsun Yu had already become a core member, breaking into the ranks of Dreadnought Captains decades ago.

Yet even with all that, he hadn’t earned a spot on the Demon Serpent Continent expedition.

House Changsun was certainly powerful, with more than a hundred thousand years of history and even a Star River-class ship in their arsenal. But at the end of the day, they were still just one of the Tang Dynasty’s clans.

As mentioned before, only factions within the Four Great Divine Dynasties—or truly dominant forces in the Torch Human Cluster—could get spots for this action.

Take Beidou Sevenstar Hall, for instance—founded over two hundred thousand years ago, they didn’t have a Hyperdimensional Mothership but still boasted more than one Star River-class ship, including at least one at the absolute limit.

Only powers of that level could make the Four Torch Empires take notice.

“Don’t worry. Leave it to me!”

At the hall doors, Corpse Dog nodded.

Now a new Star-Annihilator-class Captain of Yaoguang Star Tower, he was permitted to bring a few people along—the Beidou Main Hall big shots were fine with it.

Seeing Corpse Dog agree, Yulong shifted her gaze to Song Chi and Whitebrow, who’d just walked in.

“Jingzhe, Whitebrow, if you have the chance, please keep an eye on him for me…”

Neither Song Chi nor Whitebrow hesitated to agree.

In fact, everyone nearby answered as soon as the request was made.

Yulong had always played the big sister in their group chat, leveraging her family’s connections to help them out over the years. No one could have refused her.

Helping out where it mattered didn’t seem like too much to ask.

“Attention, everyone: you may now summon your command ships!”

Suspended in the air at the top of the Grand Hall, the Yaoguang Star Master’s voice rang out. As soon as he finished, all chatter stopped.

Without delay, a shimmering light appeared at each member’s brow. Miniature warships flew out of the Torch Ancestral Orifices of each participant.

Song Chi followed suit, not remotely worried about space inside the Star Tower.

He’d noticed during the previous Blood War Secret Realm mission that the Beidou Main Hall could shrink its internal space at will. As a product of Beidou Sevenstar Hall, there was no doubt Yaoguang Star Tower had the same feature.

In a burst of light, ship after ship appeared overhead—miniaturized far beyond their normal size and floating above the hall, barely taking up any room.

Afterward, each Star Tower member began to board their own ship. Next, they’d use the rarely-activated Star Hall Teleportation Platform set at the corner of the Grand Hall.

The Star Hall Teleportation Platform—this device created a direct link between the Beidou Seven Towers and the Main Hall.

It was hardly ever used because teleportation consumed enormous energy and the cooldown was extremely long. Normally, even the Beidou Sevenstar Hall traveled by Star-Annihilator-class ship between halls, rather than through the teleportation platform.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Dark energy stirred within. Song Chi, Whitebrow, and the rest prepared to board their ships.

But just then, Yulong stopped them.

“Uncle Corpse Dog, Jingzhe, Whitebrow—these are the communication sub-devices for Xiao Yu’s ship. Hold on to them and you’ll be able to stay in touch while inside the Demon Serpent Floating-Land.”

They didn’t need to ask—everyone understood the reason immediately.

Simply put, Cui Yulong worried her son would feel awkward about sharing the communicator directly, so she took care of it first.

When you got down to it, it was all a mother’s selfless love.

There seemed to be yet another layer of spatial power in the Star Hall Teleportation Platform. Already shrunken Torch Battleships shrank even further as they floated above it. In the end, all twenty-plus ships fit inside.

With the Yaoguang Star Master, Yulong, and several Fourth-Tier Star Tower members watching, the fleet of Torch Battleships—every one at least a battleship—were wrapped in starlight. When it grew dazzling enough, a beam shot skyward. Even from hundreds of thousands of light years away, that pillar was visible.

Northern Star Domain of Xian Qin Divine Dynasty. The assembly zone of the dynasty’s main fleet, from centuries ago.

Along this section of the Civilization Wall rose a grand divine temple, surrounded by endless starlight. Seven remarkable Star Towers encircled it like bright stars around a moon, deepening its air of mystery.

Suddenly, one of the towers flared to life—a massive beam shot across the cosmos, plunging down into the very heart of the tower.

On a distant stretch of the Civilization Wall, Torch Battleships drifted above, crewing the reserve fleet left to defend this flank of the Divine Dynasty.

“That’s the fifth one already, right? Is something big happening at the Beidou Sevenstar Hall? Is there a major offensive at the front?”

“Don’t start wild rumors. Top-level groups like that have nothing to do with us. If there really is news, command will handle it.”

“I’ve heard Beidou Sevenstar Hall is one of the peak Torch Human Civilization factions. They only accept the absolute top talents. I wonder if their people are stronger than our fleet’s Fire Rose?”

“Heh, your sights are too low. What are we? A reserve fleet. You even know what that means? We’re not even the Dynasty’s main force. Fire Rose is a genius here, sure, but in the main fleet, she’s just average. No way she could compare to those prodigies picked from all the billions of Torch captains.”