Chapter 705: Deadlock in the Asteroid Belt

At this moment, the three Star-Annihilator-class Ship replicas were hiding in a ring-shaped asteroid belt, hundreds of thousands of light-years away from an Eighth-Level Floating-land.

Of course, their objective wasn’t that Eighth-Level Floating-land. With the Scavenger Fleet’s current strength, going after such a target was still way beyond their reach.

The Heavenly Ruin’s mirror warship was no slouch—it could even take down a standard Eighth-Tier Serpent Demon. But an Eighth-Tier Serpent Demon and an Eighth-Level Floating-land? Worlds apart.

Just the Super Floating-Land Shield surrounding the Floating-land would be nearly impossible to break. Not to mention the whole shield— even tearing the smallest crack would alert the Eighth-Tier Serpent Demons guarding it inside.

Their real target was a Seventh-Level Floating-land even further out. For now, this asteroid belt was just a temporary hideout while their jump modules cooled down.

But fate had other ideas. Before they’d finished recharging, a warning shot over from the Scorching Sea Blazer’s replica.

“There’s a fleet of over a thousand Eight-Armed Serpent Demon warships approaching on the side of the asteroid belt…”

That was intel from the Scorching Sea Blazer. Its lv90 enhanced black replica Patrol Radar had detected the enemy—a small force using a high-grade concealment oddity. That’s why neither the Heavenly Ruin nor the Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang had noticed them right away.

Both the Heavenly Ruin and Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang only had gold Patrol Radars installed. For a regular Star-Annihilator-class Ship, that’s top-notch, but for the Heavenly Ruin? It had become a liability. The ‘Eyes of Heaven’ was now the weakest link on the ship.

Before Song Chi could think further, Song Yan’s voice came again:

“My mirror warship just scanned them again. There aren’t many of these Eight-Armed Serpent Demons, but their lineup’s tougher than anything we’ve seen. There are three Eighth-Tier Serpent Demons, twelve Seventh-Tier, and the rest are at least Tier Four, Five, or Six…”

That was enough to make the Song Family elders in the chat all tense up. The threat level here was sky-high, especially with the group sneaking deep behind enemy lines. One wrong move and they’d be in real danger.

It wasn’t just the higher-ups like Song Xuancang. Even the four Star-Annihilator-class Captains—Song Chi, Song Wujian, Song Shiyuan, and Song Yan—were all hesitant.

Based on that big battle on the Young Serpent Floating-Land, they could probably wipe out this elite Serpent Demon force if they wanted to.

But the problem wasn’t their strength—for once, it was the battlefield. They were deep in enemy territory. If this dragged out too long, a Ninth-Tier Serpent Demon Dominator might step in from afar.

And if that happened, trouble would really be knocking.

With only three warship replicas, there was no way they could seize total victory. They’d have to call in reinforcements from the main fleet, and that meant no guarantees if things went south. That was why the core team struggled with their decision.

The chat kept spinning its wheels, no final call being made—until Song Yan dropped the real bomb.

“Wait—there’s something in that Serpent Mothership. Tricolored—it’s tricolored light!”

“What, tricolored light? Could that be a Tricolored Lower-Tier Oddity?”

“Xiao Yan, are you sure?”

Instantly the chat erupted. Under the heated gazes from all sides, Song Yan nodded firmly.

“I just remotely activated the ‘secondary true vision’ on the Patrol Radar. Confirmed: that Serpent Mothership is packed with tricolored light!”

……

With Song Yan’s answer, the mood among the Song Family in the chat changed almost instantly.

If they’d been wavering before, now they were all fired up. That kind of hunger only appeared when a Legendary Myth-Grade Oddity was up for grabs.

In five thousand years of the family’s rise, they’d only ever gotten one Myth-Grade Oddity—the accidental prize of the Old Ancestor, Dragon Whale Hall. With a second one practically in front of them, who could resist?

The upper echelon was all on the same page. Still, Song Chi and the others didn’t just charge in.

Three Eighth-Tier Serpent Demons, a dozen more Sevenths, all acting as escorts…

Carrying a high-grade concealment oddity…

And somewhere onboard, a Legendary Myth-Grade Oddity sat hidden…

All of this spoke volumes without needing a word.

“It’s almost certain this elite Serpent Demon force is under a Ninth-Tier Dominator. That tricolored Myth-Grade Oddity in the Mothership must belong to that Dominator as well.”

“Their secret mission is likely to deliver it to the very heart of the Demon God Floating-Land in the galactic cluster. If we attack, odds are over 80% the Dominator will intervene remotely. We’d better get everything ready!”

Those words came from Song Wujian, his tone grave. Next, the Song Family elders dug into the details.

You didn’t have to explain how rare and valuable a Legendary Myth-Grade Oddity was. They needed to plan for the worst so nothing could throw the whole mission off track.

“All right, according to Xiao Yan, the Serpent Demon fleet is almost out of detection range. It’s time!”

Once Song Wujian gave the order, several core members of the Song Family vanished from the Advance Fleet.

Meanwhile, millions of light-years away, inside the asteroid belt—

Song Chi appeared inside the control room of the Heavenly Ruin’s mirror warship.

After using the Market as a transfer point, Song Chi didn’t dawdle for a second.

Shhk—

The mirror warship’s hatch flew open. The Dimensional Spatial Stone shot out, and in a blink, dozens of the Song Family’s core members materialized inside the asteroid belt.

They might not have brought many people, but every single one was the family’s best.

Song Shiyuan, Song Shixing, Song Xingru, Shen Youran, Song Xuancang, Song Yiming, Song Ting, Song Hanyu, Song Tianshu, Song Tianmang…

Basically, everyone ranked above Battleship Captain in the Song Family was now present.

Song Chi, Song Wujian, and Song Yan also brought along the real bodies of their warships.

Once everyone was in position, they each summoned their battleships. With the cover of the Group Phantom River, they all began charging their main cannons.

At that moment, Song Wujian’s voice rang out through the magnetic comm chat.

“Everyone—fire!”

Boom, boom, BOOM!

A barrage of blazing beams erupted from the asteroid belt, piercing straight toward the spot Song Yan had marked in the starry void.

Under such a concentrated assault, the once-peaceful starfield suddenly exploded with chaos. Stealth Serpent Warships revealed themselves one after another, yanked out of hiding.

All the Song Family’s top members had poured their strongest attacks into this. In seconds, the Serpent Demon force suffered massive losses.

Especially the Fourth- and Fifth-Tier Serpent Warships—over three hundred of them went down in under ten seconds.

Even among the hardiest Seventh-Tier Serpent Dominators, two didn’t make it out.

But before the Song Family could celebrate, Song Wujian’s sharp reprimand sounded over comms.

“Everyone, recall your ships and activate your tokens! No returning unless ordered—move, now!”

The core members knew the plan cold, so without hesitation, they called back their ships and used their Market-Walking Tokens to teleport into the Traveler’s Inn.

In a flash, the asteroid belt was empty, except for three Star-Annihilator-class Replicas and the Heavenly Ruin and Unmoving Vajra.

Even Song Chi’s Heavenly Ruin didn’t linger.

Eternal Dominion Soul Nest.

Frosted Void Prison.

After quickly activating both components, Song Chi also recalled the real Heavenly Ruin, jumping with it into the Omniverse Market.

Now, only three warship replicas and the Unmoving Vajra remained in the asteroid belt.

Not to mention, all the Dominion Souls from the Eternal Dominion Soul Nest Song Chi had just unleashed.

Over ten Eighth-Tier Dominion Souls and nearly forty Seventh-Tier ones answered orders, surging out into the asteroid belt to hunt down the battered Serpent Demon fleet.

The Eight-Armed Serpent Demon elites, ravaged by surprise attack, didn’t retaliate but instead tried to rally the survivors.

Regaining order, they led the fleet away at top speed, showing no signs of counterattack.

Watching all this, Song Chi and his companions realized that the Legendary Myth-Grade Oddity meant even more to the enemy than expected. Everything the Serpent Demon fleet did was to keep that treasure safe.

But they’d planned for this. With so many Song Family elites plotting every move, of course, they’d predicted such possibilities.

That’s why, before leaving with his main ship, Song Chi had activated the Frosted Void Prison.

Now, the entire asteroid belt—and all nearby space—was sealed off by this golden component. Not just one layer, either: the mirror warship had a cloned Frosted Void Prison too, doubling the security. Even all three Eighth-Tier Serpent Demons together wouldn’t break out anytime soon.

Soon enough, the swarm of Dominion Souls caught up to the Serpent Demon fleet, cutting down the mid-tier demons in a frenzy.

The Seventh- and Eighth-Tier Serpent Dominators had no choice but to fight back, tying up their strongest fighters.

That left the stage to the three warship replicas.

But before charging out, the Heavenly Ruin’s mirror warship activated yet another component.

A cloned Four Symbols Rotating Sigil!

Among the three ship replicas, the last link was Song Shiyuan’s Unmoving Vajra. That was why he alone stayed behind.

The Unmoving Vajra didn’t need to fight—just keep the Four Symbols Rotating Sigil running.

Watching as the three ship replicas now glowed with brilliant gold law lines—dragons, tigers, phoenixes, turtles, all circling—Song Shiyuan guided streams of dark energy into his Market-Walking Token.

Before teleporting into the Market, he saw the three ship replicas charge out, heading straight for two Eighth-Tier Serpent Demons. A fierce clash was imminent.

Conflicting emotions sparked in his eyes. Of course, he’d love to fight alongside them. But that wasn’t an option. The family’s growth had been dramatic—four Star-Annihilator-class Captains in just over a thousand years.

But potential and luck weren’t enough. The family still had to proceed with caution. True strength for any Immortal House came down to four words:

“Stable Succession.”

And what does that mean?

It means each generation can nurture prodigies, and when the time comes, there will always be suitable successors to carry on the legacy of Star-Annihilator-class Captains.

That’s how great houses endure for millennia.

The Song Family couldn’t let its guard down. Protecting the core members was absolutely essential.

With a Ninth-Tier Serpent Dominator lurking, Song Shiyuan, as the Captain, couldn’t stay here and risk everything.

Gathering dark energy in his palm, he activated the Market-Walking Token. Space twisted around him, wrapping his entire body.

Just as Song Shiyuan was about to enter the Market, another component on the Unmoving Vajra lit up.

Tome of Divine Will.

That was Song Shiyuan’s final move—activating the Tome of Divine Will.

It used to be installed on the Heavenly Ruin, but for the Four Symbols Rotating Sigil’s sake, it had been safely moved to the Unmoving Vajra. On the advice of the family elders, Song Chi had unmounted it without a scratch—an extra safeguard.

Hummmm—

The divine mark flowed into Song Shiyuan, linking his soul directly with the Unmoving Vajra.

With that, he relaxed at last, letting the teleportation take him into the Omniverse Market.

With that link, even if a Ninth-Tier Serpent Dominator intervened, he could still summon the Unmoving Vajra back from afar.

Song Chi had already ensured the Market’s barriers would lift when it was time to recall the ship.

This was the Song Family’s final and most thoroughly debated plan—not the highest success rate, but the safest for every clan member.

Shiyuan’s departure didn’t change the battle at all. Outside, the fighting was raging as before.

Even with just three ship replicas, the Dominion Souls Song Chi unleashed made all the difference. They kept the Seventh- and Eighth-Tier Serpent Demons pinned down, and the Eighth-Tier Dominion Souls tangled with their strongest, taking pressure off the Song Family’s fleet.

Taking advantage, Song Chi ordered the enraged Star Devourer Wolf to block one Eighth-Tier Serpent Demon. Strengthened by the Four Symbols Rotating Sigil, the Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang and Scorching Sea Blazer teamed up on the last one.

As for Song Chi, the Heavenly Ruin’s mirror warship had only one target—the immense Serpent Mothership.

The Song Family wouldn’t lose sight of their true goal in the chaos.

The Heavenly Ruin, at full power, and the Ashura Emperor, which had also been called in, were both bearing down on the Serpent Mothership.

Infinite Fallen Immortal Quantum Star-Annihilator Cannon—Infinite Fallen Immortal Quantum Swordlight!

Black Hole Evolution Layer—Black Hole Singular Burst!

Blood Spear—God of the Hunt’s Weakpoint Mark!

Slash!

Blinding swordlight pierced through, and an energy storm of terrifying magnitude exploded outward.

This wasn’t your average Serpent Mothership—the hull alone was wrapped in a special shield, defense level at Ninth-Tier.

As the energy storm faded, Song Chi saw the shield outside the Serpent Mothership had only dimmed by a third.

He didn’t hesitate. He just ramped up his attack.

Ashura Chronosaber.

Hunyuan Copper Ramming Prow—Hunyuan Impact!

Elephant King Ivory Ramming Prow—Elephant King’s Wrath!

Antimatter Evolution Engine—High Overload Burst!

The Ashura Emperor’s blood-red saber sent another burst at the shield, dimming it further.

Then the Heavenly Ruin’s mirror warship became a streak of light, ramming headlong into the Serpent Mothership.

Suddenly, a massive tremor shook the skies above. Web-like cracks spread across the two overlapping golden Frosted Void Prisons.

There was no doubt—a Ninth-Tier Serpent Demon had struck!

Inside the Omniverse Market, Song Chi’s breath hitched.

He stared up at the cracked golden barrier overhead, uncertainties clawing at his heart.

‘No way. Did the Dominator come in person?’

Dread unfurled in his chest. He knew what that would mean.

But then he shook his head.

‘No, even at full power, a Ninth-Tier Dominator couldn’t do this much in one blow. Back on the Red Star Continent, two of them together never damaged the Frosted Void Prisons this fast…’

A thought dawned on him.

‘It must be the Ninth-Tier Serpent Demon Dominator on the Demon God Floating-Land, acting remotely—plus the bonus of a peak Ninth-Level Floating-Land’s origin will. That’s a whole different league from the Red Star Continent, which had no such aid. That must be it!’

With a clear judgment of the situation, Song Chi was only calmer. He mentally urged the Ashura Emperor to speed up. His own mirror warship didn’t pause, continuing its charge at the Serpent Mothership.

BOOM!

Mythic Pulse Energy Shield clashed with the Serpent Mothership’s outer shield. The shield absorbed most of the impact for the mirror ship, but the Mothership’s barrier gave out under the force.

With no buffer, just one collision gouged a massive hole in the hull.

But that wasn’t enough. As the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon’s prized creation, the Mothership wasn’t going down so easily.

Song Chi had planned for this. As he moved to unleash his next attack, another earth-shaking blast rang out overhead.

This time, the sound of things fracturing followed.

Both layers of golden Frosted Void Prison shattered after only two blows.

Looking up, he saw the endless starry sky swirling with dense spatial energy. At its peak, a projection billions of kilometers wide took shape—the illusion of eight massive arms.

A moment ago, that phantom had shattered both golden barriers. Now one massive arm swung down again.

Song Chi’s heart trembled, even here in the Omniverse Market. He’d seen Ninth-Tier beings fight before, but this was a whole new level.

‘Peak Ninth-Tier. That projected arm has the power of a peak Ninth-Tier being…’

‘Crossing galaxies and still wielding this much strength? With added support from the Demon God Floating-Land, could this Dominator have reached the ultimate Ninth-Tier?’

Before he could puzzle it out, his ancestor Song Wujian called to him from behind.

“Chi! Hurry!”

On the battlefield, the Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang’s replica fired a beam of golden light.

A massive space rift opened behind the Eighth-Tier Serpent Dominator facing off against the Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang and Scorching Sea Blazer. No matter how hard it fought, it was forcibly exiled into the void for a moment.

But the rift refused to close, leaking the energy of the Earth Law. Clearly this banishment wouldn’t last long.

Still, that bought the two Star-Annihilator-class Ship replicas valuable time.

The Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang’s engines roared with overload, driving it upward straight toward the falling phantom arm.

In the final flash before impact, the Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang’s hull darkened with layers of black star-shell armor.

Death Calamity Star Shell Armor—Doom Star Husk Guard!

BOOM!

With its armor active, the Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang crashed into the illusory arm, and the explosion rocked the galaxy.

Yet even with Song Wujian’s all-out effort, Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang was just a replica with weakened strength—no way could it block a peak Ninth-Tier strike.

When the shockwave faded, the massive phantom arm was battered but still plunging down.

True to his resolve, Song Wujian made his call. Already damaged beyond repair, the Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang replica erupted in a thunderous blast.

A mushroom cloud billowed as the replica destroyed itself, shattering into scrap.

But it worked. The phantom arm was finally dispersed, its power completely erased.

Before the Song Family in the Market could rejoice, a fourth arm from the eight-armed phantom swept down.

This time, it was Song Yan’s Scorching Sea Blazer meeting the blow. Compared to the Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang, the Blazer was much stronger—because Song Yan instantly activated the ‘Flame God’s Dominion Soul Guard’ feature on his lv90 Flame God’s Dominion Skull.