Chapter 695: The Bitter Price of Advancement

As expected, the gap between Tier 7 and Tier 6 is far more than just an evolution of life itself. It’s like when Tier 3 broke into Tier 4—these are two totally different levels of existence.

Feeling the unmoving barrier of Tier 7 inside him, Song Chi opened his eyes with a wry smile, putting an end to his pointless attempt.

For a moment, his gaze rested on the Demon Serpent Nine-Shed Fruit and Celestial Jade Essence set to the side, but he forced himself to look away just as quickly.

While these two resources could help him push through using the Guiding Technique, it was best to take them only when in peak condition. Right now, he was anything but that.

And so time slipped quietly by. Song Chi kept waiting for just the right moment, but even as years ticked away, that chance never seemed to come.

……

Compared to Song Chi’s endless days secluded in the silent cultivation chamber, grinding away at the breakthrough to Tier 7, things were far livelier over on the Bronze Serpent Floating-land.

This veteran Eighth-Level Floating-land spans over three hundred thousand light years across, guarded by dozens of Serpent Demon Dominators empowered by the Floating-land’s Origin. To truly conquer it? Easier said than done.

It’s already been six years since they entered Bronze Serpent Floating-land. In all that time, each faction has only managed a rough clearing of its own territory. None have dared launch a full assault on the Serpent Demon Holy Cities within.

West of the Bronze Serpent Floating-land.

In a mountain range stretching into the horizon, the thunder of ship cannons ripped through the air.

The bombardment went on for more than half an hour. Only when the mountains deep inside finally stopped shuddering did a fleet—just over a hundred ships strong—appear in the sky above.

“Heads up, my radar’s clear. All Eight-Armed Serpent Demons have been wiped out. Zi’ang, take the second squad down and check things out—stay sharp!”

“Roger that. Don’t worry, Captain, you know you can count on me!”

As they spoke, an 1,100-meter-long cruiser led three escort ships down toward the surface. Their hulls glimmered with a purple sheen—each one clad in high-grade purple armor, the best defenses their team had to offer.

The cruiser, though, shimmered with an orange glow, meaning it was decked out in even rarer orange-grade hull armor.

Seeing this, the squad captain—a Zhulu-class Cruiser Captain who’d already lived more than a thousand years—finally looked a bit relieved. He couldn’t help but marvel at how much the family’s warship power had grown.

Back when he was only a cruiser captain, such luxury was unheard of. Just having a single piece of purple armor on his ship felt leagues ahead of others at his level. Now? Even escort ships came loaded with multiple purple components.

As he was caught up in these thoughts, the four recon ships soon returned.

Suddenly, the fleet’s comms crackled to life as Cruiser Captain Song Zi’ang shouted,

“Captain, we found a medium-sized Redfire Iron Ore Vein under the rubble from our bombardment!”

Song Zi’ang’s voice shook with excitement he couldn’t hide.

Captain Song Yunfan didn’t scold him—he understood this wasn’t Song Zi’ang’s fault at all.

Redfire Iron was a mid-to-high grade ore. Once refined, it could be used to craft Tier 3 machinery.

So, what does Tier 3 machinery mean?

Think Hellfire Mechs—they pack strong Tier 4 firepower, weak Tier 4 armor, and the mobility of a lower Tier 4. That’s your typical Tier 4 combat machine.

Tier 3 machines aren’t quite in the same league as Hellfire Mechs, but they’re by far the most common fighting machines Song Family uses these days. After all, even though Hellfire Mechs can be mass-produced, their bulk makes them hard for lower-ranked clansmen to bring along without shrinking tech, while Tier 3 machines are much easier to field.

All told, finding a medium Redfire Iron Vein was worth a fortune. Once they reported this to the Song Family, the whole squad would rake in a handsome share of family merit.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Their jubilation barely had time to settle when another deafening rumble broke out.

Song Yunfan’s first thought was surviving Eight-Armed Serpent Demons lurking about, but when he looked up and scanned the horizon, his face turned cold.

“All members be on alert—Level 1 readiness!”

He quickly added,

“It’s people from the Fusang Dynasty’s Nohara Clan…”

The newcomers weren’t fleeing serpent demons but a nearly thousand-strong fleet.

This was, in fact, the fleet from the Nohara Clan—one of the Fusang Dynasty’s Immortal Houses—from the region bordering Song Family territory.

Unlike Song Family’s modest presence, the Nohara Clan’s flagship was a massive battleship, flanked by two Zhulu-class Cruisers. Their fleet made no effort to conceal their might, and the pressure nearly suffocated Song Family’s small squad.

“We found this place first. What, is the Nohara Clan really planning to break the Divine Dynasty’s ban and attack a fellow ‘ally’ like us?”

Faced with their blatant harassment, Song Yunfan could only challenge them with a cold glare.

The Nohara flagship showed no reaction at all. It kept radiating its suffocating presence, ignoring Song Yunfan completely.

Finally, a sneering laugh echoed from within the flagship.

“You found it first? We detected that Redfire Iron Vein days ago…”

To make their point, they sent over a file—a photo.

The photo was indeed of this mountain valley, dated three days earlier. But it didn’t show a hint of the ore vein—just another bland landscape shot.

“Heh, that’s just a random scan you took while mapping the terrain! You really think your Nohara Clan can twist black into white with something like that?”

Song Yunfan scoffed.

But his heart was sinking—he already understood what this was about.

“Hahaha… so tell me—who do you think people across the continent will believe: the ‘white’ or the ‘black’?”

Sure enough, the other side seized on exactly that.

Under Sato Kawa’s deliberate suppression, would any power in Bronze Serpent Floating-land really risk supporting Song Family now?

With that, Song Yunfan’s gaze turned as cold as ice. He looked once more at the Nohara flagship overhead, then, seeing the frustration in Song Zi’ang and the others’ eyes, gave the order to retreat.

“Captain, are we really just handing it over like this?”

“Yeah, Captain! We spent half a month wiping out those serpent demons—finally have a shot at earning extra credit, and now we’re just giving it up? It’s so humiliating!”

……

As frustration exploded in the squad’s group chat, everyone started venting all at once.

“That’s an order. Or are you all really planning to disobey?”

“Don’t worry, they won’t get away with this for long. Sooner or later, Song Family will make them pay ten, even a hundred times over!”

Under Song Yunfan’s hard line, the squad’s hundred-plus ships finally turned and left the mountains.

Maybe it was out of

Watching Song Family’s fleet pull away, laughter erupted in the Nohara Clan’s chat channel.

“Ha, they’re so obedient. A clan with no real foundation dares act uppity in front of Lord Sato?”

“At least they know their place. We, the Nohara Clan, have twelve thousand years of unbroken lineage. As if some three-thousand-year roadside mutts could compare.”

“Compete with us for an ore vein? If not for the ban on infighting, our Fusang Dynasty could stomp the Song Family of Longji out with a single step!”

……

Once Song Yunfan got back to the main Song Family fleet, he immediately reported everything to command.

All he got from the elders was a single message—’Noted.’ After that, nothing.

Encrypted Song Family executive chat:

Song Shixing: “Yet another one—counting the Nohara Clan, that makes four Immortal Houses openly targeting us already!”

Song Xuancang: “Let them jump around for now. We revealed the Sixth-tier Timeworld Tree, kept snapping up spoils behind the serpent demons, then brought out the Eighth-tier Golden Apple Mother Tree. There are way too many eyes on us in the shadows. At least this flushes them out so we don’t miss any when the day of reckoning comes!”

“By the way, the Tier-8 Ashura Emperor that Xiaochi enslaved has fully recovered. Should we bring it over from Dragon-Spine Continent?”

Song Wujian: “Do it. No telling how long Xiaochi’s breakthrough will take. If it can’t make it in time, having an Ashura Emperor as backstop helps. Also, bring that Four Symbols Rotating Sigil Xiaochi left behind.”

Song Yan: “Just got word from Shadow Division. The mist-dwelling Snakefolk can only breed inside the Misty Swamp—they don’t seem to be able to reproduce elsewhere!”