Chapter 698: Alliances and Ambitions Amid the Star Domain War

Just as Sato Kawa expected, after the Song Family summoned that Ashura Emperor with half a foot into the eighth-tier, several Star River-class battleships quietly entered Bronze Serpent Floating-land from beyond the skies.

Though no one revealed themselves, Sato Kawa, seated in his flagship, had already received several private transmissions.

“Sato, some things are better left alone. If you stir up trouble with the Divine Dynasty Overseers, your Fusang Dynasty might not come out unscathed!”

“Sato Kawa, those old relics at Beidou Sevenstar Hall are fiercely protective of their own. Are you sure your Fusang Dynasty can weather their wrath?”

……

Reading message after message, each laced with hidden threat, Sato Kawa’s anger surged. But no matter how he struggled, the outcome was already set.

No matter which of the Star River-class flagships stood behind the three advancing fleets, not a single one would allow such an outrageous, internal battle between eighth-tier powers to break out.

As guardian warships, their duty wasn’t just to protect their fleets and prevent high-level Eight-Armed Serpent Demons from slaughtering at will. The achievements of the fleets under their protection in war were counted as their own, and the Divine Dynasty would dish out significant rewards after the war according to these contributions.

On the other hand, if something went terribly wrong with their fleet, they’d all face the consequences.

Because of this, these Star River-class Captains would never allow Sato Kawa to act unchecked.

Sato Kawa wasn’t the only one who understood this; Song Wujian aboard the Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang knew it too. If not for this, he wouldn’t have dared to be so blunt.

The Ashura Emperor Song Chi enslaved was certainly powerful, but if they hoped to take on an ancient titan clan with over a hundred thousand years of heritage head-on, it was nowhere near enough.

Not to mention, if Sato Kawa called upon the Sato Clan’s mythic heritage, even the Ashura Emperor couldn’t stand against them.

So in truth, Song Wujian was using this very point to his advantage.

After this standoff, things progressed quickly. The Song Family not only refused to claim the ‘missing’ seventh-tier Serpent Demon, but also took the initiative—sending a Canglong Fleet and two seventh-tier enslaved beasts to finish off the “overlooked” Serpent Demon Dominator, making it a family achievement.

Seizing the chance, the Song Family tripled their take of Misty Swamp Snakefolk from 140,000 to 400,000 and secured a 20% share of Misty Swamp’s future output.

Soon after, the specific division of Misty Swamp’s profits was finalized.

Outside the Song Family’s 20%, the Sato Clan claimed 30%, the Fusang royal family got another 20%, and the Star River-class Captains behind the three fleets split the remaining 30%, each taking 10%.

As for the thirty or so other immortal powers, they had hoped the Song Family’s assertiveness would earn them a 1% share of Misty Swamp.

But in truth, the Song Family didn’t care. For all those who had just watched from the sidelines—or worse, openly aligned elsewhere—they supported Sato Kawa and the Fusang royal family’s proposal to exclude them all, without a second thought.

With that, the matter of dividing Bronze Serpent Floating-land was settled. The three fleets remained for well over a decade, only leaving after they wiped out all surviving Eight-Armed Serpent Demons. Then, taking new orders from the Divine Dynasty’s headquarters, they advanced straight west, headed for the core of the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon galaxy cluster.

Time flowed on, the years passing with barely a mark.

In the blink of an eye, 150 years slipped quietly by.

In that century and a half, every advancing fleet thundered forward, and with the fall of the core floating-land in the eastern part of the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon cluster, resistance across a hundred-plus river systems crumbled. The Immortal Qin Divine Dynasty’s fleets raced forward, the advance reaching its historic peak.

During this period, the Sixth, Ninth, and Eleventh fleets usually operated separately, only joining forces when facing a river system boasting an eighth-level floating-land.

Over the 150 years, the Song Family reaped enormous profits—one Star-Annihilator-class ship, five Canglong Fleets, several seventh-tier enslaved beasts, and that Ashura Emperor they no longer needed to hide.

Their haul included control of three eighth-level life floating-lands, three complete seventh-tier life floating-lands, and four full seventh-tier resource floating-lands. There were even more territories below seventh-tier, but most were too scattered for effective governance and development.

On this day, inside the Eleventh Advance Fleet, the Song Family’s Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang held a secure communications group chat.

Song Xingru: “Counting this piece of the Shuang She Galaxy, we’ve taken land in six systems. But it’s all scattered! When you add wormhole creation, interstellar migration, floating-land development, and field extraction, the Internal Affairs Hall is going to have their hands full!”

Her grumble set off a flurry of replies in the chat.

Song Shiyuan: “After the war we should try to get rid of these scattered territories. With our growth rate, spreading our people thin would just slow the family down!”

Song Xuancang: “Get rid of them? I disagree. We’ve already captured the richest 300,000 light-years of the Chipan Galaxy, and at this pace, we’ll fill it up in less than ten thousand years. Expanding into the Outer Domain is risky—Torch Human Civilization land is too valuable to trade away!”

Song Tianhao: “I’m with the Patriarch on this!”

Shen Youran: “+1”

……

Just then, Clan Elder Song Wujian cut in.

“Shiyuan, you’re not done explaining, are you?”

At that, Song Shiyuan immediately nodded. “Right. By ‘get rid of’ I didn’t mean sell. I meant actively trading these scattered holdings—either current or future ones—with other powers. Like we did with the Yao-Han Three. Pool the family’s lands into one or two river systems, preferably those with eighth-level floating-lands.”

“Plenty of other families are in the same boat. If we reach out, I’m sure we can pull it off!”

When everyone heard his explanation, their objections faded. It was obvious this could push the family’s development far ahead.

Then Song Yan, quiet until now, chimed in.

“Aside from what the Prime Ancestor said, there’s something else. When trading lands, we could give up some barren territory in exchange for plots on main floating-lands in each capital system. Public zones on those floating-lands will likely become hubs for the whole system—their parcels of land could be worth a fortune for us down the line!”

“It’d also boost our odds of successful trades!”

Song Xuancang: “Yan, that sounds great, but how can we be sure the public zones will be placed where we want them?”

Song Yan was clearly prepared.

“Patriarch, that’s easy! We can use the High-Dimensional Wormhole Generator on the Elder’s ship—even a man-made spatial wormhole is a huge draw!”

“Alright, since everyone agrees, that’s the plan. But first, our priority is still seizing as much land as possible. That’s the foundation of our future!”

……

After this exchange Song Wujian suddenly changed the subject.

“Yan, how’s the Blood Chalice on your flagship? Are you ready to try the Warship Evolution Quest?”

It had been over 150 years since he obtained the Blood Chalice, and it’d spent every day since then installed on the Scorching Sea Blazer.

For a century and a half, the Song Family’s fleet had led every advance. They’d slain many seventh-tier Eight-Armed Serpent Demons, and whenever possible, those kills had gone straight to the Scorching Sea Blazer. Hence, Song Wujian’s question.

“Clan Elder, the Blood Chalice on my flagship now holds eleven portions of seventh-tier Serpent Demon origin blood—over a hundred from the sixth-tier!”

The moment Song Yan finished, Song Wujian shook his head.

“A Dreadnought advancing to Star-Annihilator class—sixth-tier blood barely counts. And just eleven portions of seventh-tier? Not enough. Far too risky!”

He paused, weighing his options, then spoke again after several seconds.

“Here’s the plan. I’ll sound out the Star River-class Captain from the Meng Clan—he’s been pretty friendly. If we can convince him to help, and join forces with our Ashura Emperor, we might manage to let Scorching Sea Blazer bring down an eighth-tier Eight-Armed Serpent Demon!”

“What a shame. Xiaochi’s still locked in training with the Dragon-Spine Inheritance Stele, learning the strongest secret arts. If only he were back—Heavenly Ruin and Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang, plus the Four Symbols Rotating Sigil and the Ashura Emperor, we wouldn’t need to beg for help!”

……

The Song Family’s tactics were methodical and precise. After negotiating, they succeeded—trading three wormhole-creation opportunities to the Meng Clan’s Star River Captain for his aid.

Soon, with the Meng Clan’s ship teaming up with the Ashura Emperor, they dealt a heavy blow to an eighth-tier Eight-Armed Serpent Demon, and let the Scorching Sea Blazer finish the kill, securing the eighth-tier origin blood.

After that, the Scorching Sea Blazer stuck with the fleet for nearly another decade. Only when Chipan Galaxy’s second peak sixth-tier floating-land was finally ready for advancement did they return, escorting thousands of Song clansmen on the verge of promotion.

Chipan Galaxy, much like the Red Serpent Floating-Land from before—the returnees gathered on a peak sixth-tier floating-land.

This one wasn’t a life-land, but a resource floating-land. Not that it mattered; the energy surges from advancing to seventh-tier were almost identical.

Looking at the Sea of Stars Floating-Land below, a third-tier cruiser captain in the Song party remarked:

“I heard the family advanced a sixth-tier land to seventh-tier not long ago. Now, less than two centuries later, here comes another! Isn’t this kind of frequent, costly advancement too much for the family to handle?”

“That’s right. It’s not really necessary. With the bounty of Eight-Armed Serpent Demons from the war, our odds of success are plenty high. What’s critical now is boosting Dragon-Spine Continent to eighth-tier. That’s the real key for our family’s survival over the eons. If we delay big plans for these, we’d be letting the whole clan down!”

……

Seeing these remarks, Song Yan explained:

“No need to worry. The Clan Elders know what they’re doing—Dragon-Spine Continent won’t be affected!”

“Greetings, Ancestor Yan!”

“Since Ancestor Yan’s vouched for it, we can relax. Brothers and sisters, let’s get ready—the floating-land ascension’s about to start. If we succeed, we’ll all be able to contribute more to the family!”

“That’s right. We’re all part of the Song Family. We can’t just let the elders do everything, and we definitely can’t squander the lucky circumstances they’ve provided!”

……

The group chat exploded in excitement, energy rising till it was practically boiling.

This new generation of Song clan members had been born into the greatest of times, starting far ahead of the average Torch Captain—and with an even brighter future.

But thanks to Song Family’s strong values and education, they hadn’t grown spoiled. Instead, they carried the weight of all this good fortune deep in their hearts.

So even the smallest actions or words could spark their passion and family loyalty.

Listening to all this, Song Yan couldn’t help but smile.

What he didn’t say aloud was this: thanks to the Origin Core Siphon, the family found it much easier to advance seventh-tier floating-lands than the rest of the world. And these promoted lands weren’t wasted—just counting all the new life-forms and mineral veins, or thinking ahead to ascending Dragon-Spine Continent, floating-lands were essential for fusing into it.

An eighth-level Sea of Stars floating-land started with a base diameter over 100,000 light-years. Given the Song Family’s ambitions, they intended for Dragon-Spine Continent to debut with great enough substance to reach 200,000 light-years across.

At that point, Song Family’s holdings in Chipan Galaxy would mostly become part of Dragon-Spine Continent, with many mid and low-level floating-lands merging right in—including these seventh-tier lands.

That’s why Song Family was promoting so many seventh-level floating-lands: to prepare for Dragon-Spine Continent’s leap to eighth-level.

Putting other thoughts aside, Song Yan quickly piloted the Scorching Sea Blazer down to the floating-land’s core. Pouring a large chunk of seventh-tier origin core into the land’s main core, familiar waves of energy began to surge up all around them.

……

While Song Yan and company focused on the energy surges and prepared for their warship’s ascension—

Dragon-Spine Continent, Dragon-Spine Secret Domain.

Halfway up Dragon Whale Mountain, where the family’s secret arts stele stood.

Before the Dragon Whale Secret Arts Inheritance Stele, Song Chi, who’d been meditating here for over a century, suddenly stood up, surging with powerful seventh-tier dark energy.

But that wasn’t the key point—the crucial thing was the array of origin Laws shimmering across his body.

Space, time, light—

Three origin Laws, all at the perfected level. Especially space and light, the Law Bridges he’d forged for these had widened past five meters.

If any outsider had witnessed this, they’d have been utterly floored.

Usually newly promoted Star-Annihilator Captains could only form Law Bridges about a meter wide, and it took over ten thousand years for a veteran to force them past five meters.

Song Chi, in just a hundred years, had walked a path that took others tens of millennia.

Now, as these three Laws merged in strange harmony, they conjured a terrifying three-colored dragon whale apparition.

ROAR!!

The spectral dragon whale threw back its head and bellowed, brimming with world-shaking power.

With an unstoppable force, it surged upward toward the secret realm’s sky, almost exploding the heavens at its peak.

At that moment, Song Chi voluntarily dissipated the three-colored dragon whale’s image.

‘Dragon Whale’s Wrath’ really is worthy of being one of the most formidable secret arts of the Dragon-Spine Whale line. Forcing three perfected Laws together to forge a phantom like that—the power could move mountains and shatter the sky.’

Murmuring, dark energy flickered within him while the Law of Space swirled across his skin. In the next second, he vanished from the mountain slope, reappearing beside the secret domain’s exit.

With nearly two centuries of closed-door cultivation complete, every goal fulfilled, it was finally time to return to the civilization war’s front lines.

Heavenly Ruin had just advanced to Star-Annihilator-class, burning through almost all his high-end resources. With the war against the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon civilization still raging, he wasn’t about to miss his chance to recover more.

……

Dragon Spine Sacred Mountain, Dragon Whale Hall.

“Xingzu, so it’s your turn to guard Dragon-Spine Continent now?”

“Hey, it’s been two centuries—hasn’t the Yixing Trade Guild moved the continent to the Chipan Galaxy yet?”

Sensing Song Shixing’s aura in the hall, Song Chi spoke directly.

Hearing that, Song Shixing could barely contain his joy.

“Xiaochi, you’re finally out? Tell me—which supreme secret art did you master from the Dragon Whale Inheritance Stele?”

Song Chi had no intention of hiding anything from Song Shixing.

“Dragon Whale’s Wrath? That’s rumored to be the legacy secret of the mythical Dragon-Spine Whale itself—ha, I always knew you’d bring glory to the clan!”

After a hearty laugh, Song Shixing explained all the major family news in detail.

“As for Dragon-Spine Continent, it’s already entered Chipan Galaxy, just not to its designated spot yet. But it should be in position in the next decade or two.”

“Oh, right, Xiaochi. Now that you’re a true Star-Annihilator Captain, have you decided on your exclusive King’s Title yet?”