Chapter 580: A Gamble Beneath the Auction: The Torch Passes

“One Gold Patrol Radar, plus three hundred wisps of Seventh‑Tier Floating-land Origin.”

“One drop of Seventh-Tier Starbeast Source Blood, and fifty sets of Dominion Soul on top of that.”

…

Amid the flurry of bidding, bids came one after another from eleven of the twelve private rooms at the very top of the auction house—each with a Star-Annihilator-class Captain present.

It was clear this [Time Crown (Replica)] part was a much bigger draw than the lower-grade silver strategic component from before.

And with good reason. As the Chigu Luo Clan claimed, once this [Time Crown (Replica)] was powered up to level 80, it could provide up to 60% universal cooldown reduction.

That meant those so-called strategic parts would have their downtime cut by more than half. Plus, with two other impressive time-based features, the value for the price was obvious.

Still, there hadn’t been an offer that caught the Luo Clan’s eye—at least, not yet.

Inside the Song Family’s private room, Song Wujian’s eyes flickered, clearly torn on what to bid next.

Thanks to their recent haul from the ‘Starrealm Gut,’ he had two equally ranked parts on hand that could be used as bargaining chips.

“The Extreme Desolation Corruption Cannon” and the “Spirit Serpent Spatial Ring.”

Neither the Star‑Annihilator Cannon nor the spatial expansion parts were really what the Song Family needed right now.

After all, both the Calm‑Sea Dragon‑Xiang and the Three-Eyed Clan’s Dominion Flagship already had a gold-tier or higher Star‑Annihilator Cannon installed. Plus, Song Chi himself could shuttle back and forth between Dragon‑Spine Continent at will, so the family no longer had to worry about logistics in future wars.

He thought it through for a long while, then displayed the properties of both parts and spoke bluntly:

“You can pick one: either the Extreme Desolation Corruption Cannon or the Spirit Serpent Spatial Ring. Plus, four hundred wisps of Seventh‑Tier Floating-land Origin.”

After bidding, Song Wujian settled in to wait.

Truth was, all three members of the Song Family were pretty nervous—their offer was about as middle-of-the-road as you could get compared to the others.

But there was no help for it. The Song Family just couldn’t compare to those Immortal Houses that had passed down legacies for tens of thousands of years.

Forget instantly pulling out fifty sets of Dominion Soul for the auction; just coming up with fifty for the Divine Dynasty’s thousand-year subsidy had meant Star-Annihilator-class Captain Song Wujian had to risk a trip to the Torch Judgement Court for registration, all so they could upgrade as many key parts as possible before the war broke out.

Just then, another voice echoed out from one of the rooms that had already made an offer.

“Gold energy shield. Gold hull armor. Gold Patrol Radar—pick whichever one you like. Plus, a hundred sets of Seventh-Tier Dominion Soul.”

The moment those words landed, not just the Song Family but every bidder let out a collective sigh, knowing there was simply no point trying to up the ante.

“That must be the Liang Royal Clan’s room. No wonder—they’ve been around for over forty thousand years. That’s real power.”

“Forget it. Liang Clan’s in the game now, so let’s not embarrass ourselves. If they end up with three Star-Annihilator-class Ships, after this war, Tianqi may well leap straight into the ranks of empires.”

…

Conversations popped up in the various rooms, yet everyone instinctively reached the same decision: no more bidding.

For the most deep-rooted Immortal Royal Clan in the Five-Plate Galaxy Cluster, all parties were willing to give them this one.

With no further offers, the Luo Clan’s Dreadnought Captain on stage spoke up again.

As his voice drifted out, the entire auction hall fell into dead silence, the atmosphere growing heavy and strange.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize—none of the bids met the Luo Clan’s needs, so I hereby announce this last lot… is unsold!”

Unsold lots weren’t unheard of, and it normally wasn’t a big deal… but this time, there was something off.

Three gold-tier components to choose from, plus a hundred sets of Dominion Soul—that was way over the usual price for a universal cooldown part. Not to mention, it was a Royal Clan’s offer.

So naturally, everyone started to wonder what was actually going on.

“Is Chigu Luo Clan sending a message of dissatisfaction to the Liang Clan?”

Most of the captains ended up thinking the same thing.

But no matter how they speculated, only the Luo Clan inner circle knew the real reason.

As people began leaving the auction, down in a medium-sized stone chamber beneath the venue, several Battleship and Dreadnought Captains stood assembled.

“Old Ancestor, won’t such a public rebuff of the Liang Clan cause them to target us even harder later on?”

“You’re too naïve. If you bend to them, you think they’ll just stand by and let us try for ascension?”

“It’s been over twenty thousand years—do you still not see their true colors? The moment that Whale King from the Sun Family spoke up, their stance was clear. Rather than keep making nice, we’d be better off putting the [Time Crown (Replica)] to work for the Luo Clan.”

“So, Ancestor, you guys have a plan?”

“Heh. We’ll see. Success or failure depends on that person’s attitude.”

…

Chigu Auction House, backstage.

Led by a Luo Clan Battleship Captain, the three Song Family members arrived backstage to exchange for the [Darkstar Mystic Turtle Armor] they’d previously won.

But the moment they entered, Song Chi and the others sensed something was off.

“Your Highness King Dinghai, several of our Clan Elders would like to discuss a private deal with you. If you’d please.”

As he spoke, the ground backstage trembled and a hidden passage to the depths opened up.

Since they’d already secured the [Darkstar Mystic Turtle Armor], Song Wujian didn’t refuse—instead, he led Song Chi and Song Yan down the tunnel, vanishing from sight.

The Luo Clan’s intentions were obvious by now—they were ready to risk everything for one last shot. But the other Immortal Houses in Tianqi Kingdom weren’t about to stand by and watch.

That was exactly why Song Wujian was curious.

Curious to see how someone drowning would try to save themselves.

After a long walk, they arrived in a small stone chamber beneath the ground, already filled with several Luo Clan Dreadnought Captains.

Song Chi didn’t bother sizing up the Luo Clan immediately. Instead, his eyes swept the room, checking the surroundings.

Gold-grade stealth oddities, a combined illusion space, a large-scale controllable fusion reactor…

Clearly, the Chigu Luo Clan had piled on more than a few methods of concealment in here.

While Song Chi was surveying the place, the Luo Clan Dreadnought Captains, having waited long enough, spoke together:

“My lord, please—we beg you to give the Luo Clan a helping hand. Whether we succeed or not, we’ll never forget your favor.”

Without waiting for Song Wujian to reply, the Luo Clan continued:

“If you’re willing, we’ll give you the [Time Crown (Replica)] for free. And if we manage to ascend, the Luo Clan will form a military alliance contract with the Dragonspine Song Family for the upcoming wars.”

When all was said, the Luo Clan fell silent, looking at Song Wujian with hope.

Song Wujian didn’t speak—his gaze deep and thoughtful. No one could guess what he was thinking, but the Luo Clan knew he was weighing the pros and cons.

So they waited quietly, faces respectful. They were well informed about the Dragonspine Song Family, and understood that if Song Clan soured relations with the seven Immortal Houses of Tianqi Kingdom, they needed to consider everything carefully.

Still, the Luo Clan had their own confidence. The Song Family had only recently become an Immortal House, their relationship with Morningstar Royal Clan was tense, so in the coming civilization war, the Song Clan very much needed a reliable ally. If the Luo Clan succeeded, they’d be the perfect fit.

Don’t forget, while they’d yet to produce a single Star-Annihilator-class Captain, their accumulation over twenty thousand years meant they could become a powerful ally overnight if they succeeded.

Since the Old Ancestor hadn’t answered, Song Chi stepped forward at just the right moment:

“Seniors, I have a question. The war starts in just over ten years. Even if you really manage to ascend, do you think a Star-Annihilator-class Ship captained by someone without a proper Dominion Soul can actually intimidate anyone on the battlefield?”

He phrased it politely, but what he really meant was simple:

A half-baked Star-Annihilator-class Ship wasn’t qualified to be their ally.

But the Luo Clan seemed ready for that question. Their reply was swift.

“Brother Song, we’ve already made preparations…”

But here, the speaker hesitated, looking troubled.

In the end, the three Song Family members signed a gold confidentiality agreement before the Luo Clan would continue.

A Luo Clan Dreadnought Captain projected a light screen using a special comms wristband.

The image displayed a luminous spiritual fruit.

“That’s… the Becoming-God Fruit?”

When Song Chi recognized it, the Luo Clan members’ faces grew even graver.

“That’s right, the Becoming-God Fruit. A Luo Clan ancestor stumbled onto it ten thousand years ago. As long as the ship ascends, the captain can immediately use this fruit to master Seventh-Tier Guiding Technique.”

Song Chi just nodded, not arguing the point.

The Becoming-God Fruit does exactly what the name implies—a single bite and you become a Tier-Seven lifeform in the Sea of Stars. Of course, once you use it, you can never rise further. It’s all your potential, burned at once.

But even with that drawback, its value couldn’t be overstated.

Tier Seven was something countless beings dreamed of. Reach it, and you could live for over 100,000 years—who wouldn’t want that?

After Song Chi, Song Yan finally spoke:

“Earlier, you said you’d need a push. What exactly do you want us to do?”

“The Luo Clan sealed up a Dominion-level creature thousands of years ago, but it’s not badly hurt. We need King Dinghai to cripple it, and then spend ten years personally stationed at Chigu Continent for us.”

What they were asking wasn’t unreasonable—it was all inside acceptable bounds.

But there was one problem left.

Song Yan went on:

“But we’ve got to make a trip to the Xian Qin Divine Dynasty first, and we’re not sure how long that’ll take.”

The Luo Clan met each other’s eyes, sharing a silent exchange. Then they answered:

“Two years. With our resources, holding off the other clans’ pressure for two years won’t be hard. As long as you’re back by then, we’re good.”

…

After discussing all the details, Song Wujian finally relaxed and spoke up:

“In that case, it’s worth a shot. But everything needs to go into a formal contract!”

Only two short sentences—but to the Luo Clan, it meant the world.

And the reason Song Wujian agreed was simple.

While their Immortal House was new, with a Star-Annihilator-class Ship, the Three-Eyed Clan’s Dominion Flagship, and even a Dominion-tier Starry Sky Dragon Shark, the Song Family didn’t have to fear covert attacks from the other clans even if the Luo Clan plan failed.

Unless someone wanted to openly declare war with the Song Clan under Xian Qin Divine Dynasty’s nose—which was impossible.

“Of course. On behalf of the Luo Clan’s billions, thank you, King Dinghai. Whether this works or not, we’ll never forget it!”

After that, the two sides worked out and signed comprehensive cooperation and confidentiality agreements.

The Song Family used the Covenant of Flame, while the Luo Clan produced an equally impressive gold-grade confidentiality component. Once everything was finalized, the [Time Crown (Replica)] was handed over to Song Wujian.

“Then, honored guests, we’ll look forward to your backing two years from now.”

…

Beyond Goldenplate Floating-land, a Dreadnought over one hundred thousand meters long entered the long-range stargate transfer hub.

“Halt. Royal order from Tianqi—there’ve been alien incursions in the cluster. All passing warships must be checked.”

The Dreadnought quickly showed its ship name.

“Shanxi Taibai, from outside the Five-Plate Cluster?”

“Alright, move along!”

Three days later, after a violent spatial ripple, tens of thousands of warships were transferred out of the cluster and into the Flying Leopard Cluster.

Flying Leopard Cluster, Oke Dynasty.

Exiting the stargate hub, the Heavenly Ruin—disguised as the Shanxi Taibai by the Mirage Dragon Metamorphosis Pearl—swept out at full speed.

After one more jump, once they’d left the Oke capital’s Floating-land cluster by over ten thousand light years, Song Wujian and Song Yan were released from the Dimensional Spatial Stone.

“Old Ancestor, you were right. The Tianqi Kingdom clans really did meddle with the transfers—they want to keep us from using the stargate system normally.”

After a quick discussion, the trio turned their attention back to the Oke Dynasty.

“The Oke Dynasty is our last transfer point. After this, it’s straight into the Xian Qin Divine Dynasty’s territory.”

“I just checked—if we want to use the Oke stargate to enter Xian Qin territory, it’s a six-month wait…”

Hearing this, Song Wujian turned to Song Chi:

“Chi, don’t you have a part aboard that can jump several million light years in one go? Use it. Six months—we can’t waste that kind of time.”

“Yes, Old Ancestor.”

…

A little over ten minutes later, the Heavenly Ruin, transformed into a micro-neutron star, plunged into the jump tunnel ahead.

Once the spatial ripples faded, the starry sky was empty again—as though no warship had ever passed by.

Meanwhile, millions of light years away on a Floating-land within Xian Qin Divine Dynasty’s domain, a violent impact suddenly erupted.

ps: One chapter today.