Chapter 528: A Safe Haven and a New Divvy

Yinli Plains, Saintlight City.

Back in this massive neutral city at last, Song Chi and his group could finally relax.

In the past two hundred thousand years, more than eighty, maybe even a hundred Dominion-level beings had passed through this city, but only twice had anyone dared cause trouble here—both times ending in brutal suppression by the Angel King.

Rumor had it, those two reckless Dominions were imprisoned right in Saintlight City for a whole ten thousand years before they were released.

With those examples set, it’s been over a hundred thousand years since any other Dominion-level being dared stir up trouble inside these walls.

Northern Street, Saintlight City.

“Alright, we’re completely safe here. On top of that, Yan’s added another isolation field just in case. Let’s start tallying up what we brought back!”

Somewhere inside, tucked away in a secret room, Mirror Princess—with a shimmer of prismatic light all over—took the initiative.

The other three shared her enthusiasm, and none objected. Soon, each of the four pulled out a storage device and dumped their spoils out in a collective pile.

Crash!

In a blink, four small mountains of loot filled the secret chamber—piles of Starsea Oddities, high-tier materials, and more.

One item outshined all the rest: the dazzling gold Star Mirror Stone.

The four quickly sorted and inventoried everything, jotting down a full list of their haul.

One Golden Sanctum Oddity.

Four Silver Legendary Oddities.

Twenty-four Red Epic Oddities.

Ninety-five strands of Seventh‑Tier Floating-land Origin.

……

One wisp of Primal Chaos Qi.

One hundred and twenty Dense Black-Hole Stones.

Three pieces of neutron star wreckage.

One batch of Antimatter Source.

Twenty-five kilograms of Stellar Core Stone.

……

The gold oddity spoke for itself. Of the four silver oddities, aside from the Scarlet Vault Jump Drive Song Chi had his eye on, two of the remaining pieces could also be converted into battleship components—a Star Core Giant Terracotta Tree and a Starlight Primordial Ship Armor.

The only silver oddity that couldn’t be converted was the Stariron.

After cataloging all their gains, Song Chi and Yan kept quiet. As expected, it was clear the next move belonged to Mirror Princess and Mirror Lake.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, Mirror Princess spoke up, her voice tinged with a modest plea:

“Yan, Chi, sorry to say this, but Mirror Lake and I didn’t contribute much this time. It’s a bit embarrassing, but we really need that Star Mirror Stone. It’s incredibly important to us.”

Song Chi and Song Yan stayed silent, obviously anticipating more.

“To make it fair, we’ll forgo any shares of the remaining spoils. And…”

“We’ll also throw in a silver-grade Fireseed Artifact. Yan, I remember you saying you were willing to pay high for such things!”

With that, she produced the silver Fireseed Artifact.

Both Song Chi and Yan instantly turned their attention to it.

Oddity: Star Core Origin Flame

Grade: Silver

Convertible to: Upgraded Torch Seed (Silver)

Note: A Fireseed Artifact formed after hundreds of thousands of years inside the core of a Tier Five floating-land. It’s quite valuable.

Seeing that it could be converted for an upgraded torch seed, Song Chi and Yan exchanged a delighted glance. They didn’t need it themselves, but the Clan Elder was desperate for one.

Previously, they’d found a similar fire source in the Fire Crow Mountains, but Song Shixing had already used it. Thanks to that, his torch seed had successfully evolved to silver quality, and several Calm-Sea Rising Dragon components were upgraded to tier seven, boosting their power significantly.

But aside from Shixing, on Dragon-Spine Continent, Song Xingru’s torch seed was still only red grade. This Star Core Origin Flame would be perfect for her.

“Deal!”

Of course, the pair agreed. For a Torch Captain, a silver upgraded fire source was on par with ordinary gold components. Besides, the Star Mirror Stone couldn’t become a battleship part anyway, so technically they were gaining more.

Once the Star Core Origin Flame was stowed away, Song Chi and Yan moved on to divvying up the rest.

Splitting up the four silver oddities was straightforward. Song Chi took the Antimatter Source, three pieces of neutron star wreckage, sixty Dense Black-Hole Stones, fifty strands of Seventh‑Tier Floating-land Origin, and so on.

He was very satisfied with this, and it looked like Yan felt the same.

When it came to the last four silver oddities, Song Chi claimed the Scarlet Vault Jump Drive.

“Since you prefer that jump drive, I’ll take the Star Core Giant Terracotta Tree,” Yan said.

Song Chi’s expression didn’t change, even though he had his own eye on that component—but the jump drive was the true priority. As for the last two, neither he nor Yan cared much.

The battleship armor and the non-convertible oddity just didn’t serve their needs. In the end, Song Chi took the Stariron and let Yan have the Primordial Starlight Energy Shield.

He could either trade the Stariron at the Oddities Exchange for high-tier goods or use it to recharge a Market Projection Token later.

……

The next day, with the spoils divvied up, Mirror Princess and Mirror Lake didn’t plan to linger in Saintlight City. They had their Star Mirror Stone and were eager to return home and forge their Origin Mirror.

Mirror Princess had ascended to Tier Six decades back, Mirror Lake was peaking at Tier Five, and for the Mirrorfolk, the sooner they crafted their Origin Mirror the better. So, that very next day, both said their goodbyes to Song Chi and Yan.

After they left, Yan spoke up quickly:

“Seventh Brother—what’s your plan now?”

Song Chi shook his head.

“Big Brother, let me take you back to Dragon Abyss City. As for me, I’d like to stick around in Saintlight City a little longer.”

With the three pieces of neutron star wreckage they’d just acquired, the Neutron-Star Core Armor was now at eight out of ten on its way to evolving into a gold-grade battleship component. Saintlight City was big enough that he hoped to score the last two pieces here.

He was also looking for oddities with a ‘doubled effective range’ effect. With Saintlight City’s huge traffic, odds were better than anywhere else.

Yan didn’t ask why Song Chi wanted to stay in Saintlight City.

He followed Song Chi onto the Heavenly Ruin. Once the battleship sealed up tight, Song Chi took out the Dimensional Spatial Stone. He sent Yan inside, and then shot back through the Omniverse Market to Dragon Abyss City in a flash.

He’d already set a spatial anchor here on his first visit, so warping back and forth was a breeze.

Dragon Abyss City, Dragon Abyss Hall.

Song Chi popped Yan back out of the Dimensional Spatial Stone. Even though Yan already knew, seeing himself return from Saintlight City, tens of thousands of light-years away, in a single instant was still awe-inspiring.

Yan hesitated, gathering his thoughts, then asked tentatively:

“Seventh Brother, don’t take this the wrong way, but if it’s too private, you don’t have to answer.”

Song Chi waited, expecting Yan’s real question.

“Does your special travel ability have any limits?”

Song Chi didn’t get Yan’s angle, but he answered faithfully out of trust:

“Right now, the maximum grade for biological travel is Tier Five.”

“I see… then for now, it won’t work.”

Yan shook his head. Noticing Song Chi’s puzzled look, he explained:

“I’ve found a high-grade civilization ruin, but it’s filled with extreme flame energy—normal lifeforms can’t even get inside. For a Tier Five, you’d probably melt on the spot.”

That caught Song Chi’s interest at once. He recalled the Clan Elder once mentioning that his big brother had inherited the legacy of an advanced civilization, so he naturally suspected this flame-filled ruin had something to do with that.

“What about the Starry Sky Dragon Shark? Can a Dominion-level beast handle those flames?”

Yan shook his head again.

“If it were a fire-attribute Dominion creature, maybe. But not the Dragon Shark. And it’s a huge place too.”

Song Chi wanted to ask more, but at that moment Song Shixing and Song Yao walked in.

When they heard that Song Chi planned to stay in Saintlight City a while, Song Shixing immediately handed him fifty strands of Seventh‑Tier Floating-land Origin.

Song Chi: ???

“Xiaochi, since you’re hanging around Saintlight City, help us keep an eye out for Primal Chaos Qi. If you see some, make sure to buy it.”

The moment the words “Primal Chaos Qi” left his mouth, Song Chi and Yan instantly understood.

Song Chi accepted the fifty strands and pulled out the wisp of Primal Chaos Qi he’d gotten from the Star Spirit Tribe’s treasury.

Song Shixing and Song Yao didn’t even try to hide their excitement when they saw it.

“Shixing Elder, Yao Elder, is the clan preparing for a full-scale restoration of Dragon Whale Hall?”

When Song Shixing nodded, Song Chi brightened. He’d always been keen on seeing Dragon Whale Hall restored.

It wasn’t just any reason—its Mind Hall ability alone had already proven decisive time and again.

And that’s just at black-tier supreme quality. If they could complete its third-stage repair, Dragon Whale Hall might evolve all the way to mythic color grade, letting it protect minds even better than before.

Song Chi knew, though, that it wouldn’t happen overnight. The third-stage repair alone needed a hundred wisps of Primal Chaos Qi. Despite the entire Song Family gathering over ten in the past century, the gap was still huge.

It’d likely take hundreds or maybe a thousand years to gather the full amount.

“Let’s keep at it. The Hidden Vein’s Foreign Affairs Department just caught wind of another clue about Primal Chaos Qi. Once things quiet down after our recent moves, we’ll start Phase Two.”

That led Song Chi to another question:

“Speaking of bases, how’s the clan’s city-building project?”

“Right now, we’ve eyed three possible spots. First, the Black Thorn Mountains three thousand light-years to the west. Over a hundred civilized clans flock there, including more than five with Dominion protectors. Most residents are aliens, but no titan-level (Tier Eight) powers reside.”

“Second, the northern Arctic Icefields, seven thousand light-years away. Lots of low-tier alien civilizations and a bit lacking in quality, but it’s super safe. There’s no advanced civilization there.”

“Third, the Broken Sea, more than five thousand light-years south. It’s chaotic and swarming with aliens, so if we settle there, your Starry Sky Dragon Shark would have to stand guard year-round!”

……

Song Chi mulled over the three options in silence.

“What about you, Shixing Elder—what do you think?”

Shixing glanced at Yao, then answered honestly:

“Both Yao Elder and I prefer the southern Broken Sea. It’s messy, but that just means bigger business. That sea stretches over a hundred light-years, producing not just old Deep-Sea Pearls but a special type of fire carp. Eating those long-term can help Torch Seeds evolve. The effect only works for colorless and white ones, but if we control their trade, they’d become a real core resource for the Song Family!”

He looked at Song Chi—they had their preference, but the final call was up to him.

If the city went up by the Broken Sea, Song Chi’s Starry Sky Dragon Shark would have to stay there permanently.

But Song Chi didn’t hesitate. He nodded gently.

“If Broken Sea’s the best spot, let’s do it. It won’t be an issue for me.”

He wasn’t just being polite. Truth was, he didn’t care much about the Dragon Shark anymore.

If the Omniverse Market hadn’t brought out the Market Projection Token, maybe he’d have minded. But now, with Dominion Projection as an option, once the Market reached Tier Six, Dominion Authority should go up to Tier Eight. At that point, a market projection would have the power of a Tier Seven peak or even pseudo-Tier Eight.

Compared to that, a Starry Sky Dragon Shark—who couldn’t even stand up to the Star Spirit Dominator, let alone being a true Starbeast—wasn’t so important.

His real plan was to try to subdue the Black Devourer King Beast in a century or so. As another Tier Seven Starbeast, one that far outclassed the Dragon Shark, it’d be an enormous upgrade.

“Alright, if Xiaochi’s fine with it, that’s settled. As a reward for tying up your dragon shark guarding the new city, you’ll get ten percent of its yearly income!”

That perk thrilled Song Chi. After all, the new city would be a Tier Seven neutral city. Ten percent annual profits was no small sum.

“If Elder has spoken, this grandson accepts gladly!”

Nobody ever says no to more wealth. Song Chi agreed with a grin.

“Good. The clan will whip up a detailed plan soon—we’re expecting construction to start within a few years.”

Shixing’s voice brimmed with joy. For the Hidden Vein and the whole family, this was huge.

With that decided, Song Chi made a quick trip to Saintlight City to bring the miniaturized Starry Sky Dragon Shark home to Dragon Abyss City. Afterwards, he headed back to Saintlight City alone.

Saintlight City, battleship dock, inside Heavenly Ruin.

Song Chi fused the three new neutron star wreckages with the Neutron-Star Core Armor—then reached for the Antimatter Source.