Chapter 613: Clash at the Brink: The Serpent Demon’s Bargain

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Just when the captains below were certain the Eighth-Tier Eight-Armed Serpent Demon couldn’t possibly dodge, an abrupt change occurred.

Right as the icy golden ramming prow of the Star River-class Battleship was about to collide with the demon’s massive, million-kilometer frame, a surge of pitch-black energy erupted from the serpent demon’s body.

This dark energy was overwhelmingly dominant—the very same energy that had unleashed the earlier black blade light.

Shrouded in this unknown force, the serpent demon’s aura grew stronger by the second. Song Chi’s eyes suddenly narrowed, as if he’d witnessed something unbelievable.

“Impossible…”

The Eighth-Tier Eight-Armed Serpent Demon thrust out all eight arms at once, pressing them firmly against the jet-black longsword.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A cacophony of metal on metal rang out as the icy prow smashed into the black longsword.

One side was an iron leviathan.

The other was nothing but flesh and blood.

A clash between the two should have made the outcome obvious—except what actually happened defied everyone’s expectations.

The Eighth-Tier Serpent Demon, relying solely on its own monstrous body and the black longsword, managed to forcibly block the full force of the Star River-class Battleship’s ramming attack.

“What is that…?”

Only then did several captains notice the shadowy black silhouette flickering over the serpent demon’s body.

Unlike the Serpent Demon Avatar passed down in the demon clan, this phantom, though it too bore eight arms, exuded a chilling, brutal presence—completely different from the Dominion Power and Earth Law-forged Serpent Demon Avatar.

Perhaps sensing everyone’s confusion, Song Wujian’s explanation quickly came through the encrypted group chat.

“That phantom is known as the Eight-Armed Demon God—a supreme demon lord from the Bottomless Abyss, standing at the very peak of mythical power.”

His words brought some relief, but soon new questions filled everyone’s minds.

“If that’s a powerful demon god from the Bottomless Abyss, why is it tied to the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon Civilization?”

Song Wujian understood the confusion and continued explaining:

“It’s rumored that the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon clan was created as an extension of that demon god—a tendril reaching from the abyss, aiming to spread its influence across the endless Sea of Stars.”

“After all, as vast as the abyss is, compared to the infinite Shattered Sea of Stars, it’s nothing!”

As a few from the Song Family exchanged words, the battlefield up ahead shifted once again.

With the Demon God’s power boosting it, the Eighth-Tier Serpent Demon forcefully hurled the Blood Sui Yang Clan’s battleship aside. Seizing the moment, one of its eight arms—wielding the black longsword—lashed out, slashing directly at the battleship.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Screeching metal echoed again, but the Blood Sui Yang Clan’s Star River-class ship was no pushover. Its hull armor might have fallen short of the sword’s sharpness, but it was holding strong, at least for now.

The key was that only one of the demon’s arms gripped the black longsword, leaving the other seven free. As its arms swept across the battlefield, blow after blow crashed down on the combined fleets.

Without the support of a supreme-quality weapon, these attacks were far weaker than before—but this was still an Eighth-Tier Lord’s strength. For ordinary Torch Battleships, or even Star-Annihilator-class Ships, such blows were still utterly terrifying.

First to bear the brunt was the Zhao Clan from the Linyue Galaxy, who’d always been at the fleet’s vanguard. But because they’d wisely prepared defenses against that earlier blade light, they’d only taken minimal damage. Now, they were coping well with these standard Eighth-Tier strikes.

But not everyone had the deep foundations of the Zhao Clan. As the serpent demon’s arms rained down, casualties elsewhere were mounting fast.

Compared to most, the Song Family’s forces remained composed. Before the demon’s palm-strikes could land, a colossal Dominator Worm would always rush out to take the blow first.

The real trick was the Dominator Worms’ supplementary defenses.

Some came from specialty Oddities designed to boost protection—

—like the ‘Fortify Sub-scroll’ from the Torch Battleship’s Covenant of Flame.

Stacking these effects, the Dominator Worms would absorb most of the palm strike’s power up front. Then, the Calm‑Sea Dragon‑Xiang and core Song Family ships would chip away at the rest, so that by the time the blast reached regular clan ships, it was over 99% spent.

At that moment, Song Wujian’s voice came through the secure comm channel.

“Xiaochi, take a Dominator Worm and check on the Yaohan Kingdom’s fleet. Looks like the Stark Family is about to buckle.”

Song Xingru: ???

Song Xingru was the first to voice her confusion. Song Chi, however, immediately caught on.

“Elder, are you saying…”

……

Meanwhile, the serpent demon’s colossal arms kept pounding down, sweeping across the joint fleets.

For factions shielded by a Star-Annihilator-class Ship, things were manageable. Those ships could actively intercept part of the damage. But for forces with nothing but regular ships, it was a disaster.

If one of those attacks landed and they couldn’t dodge, best-case scenario was total ship paralysis for a bit; more often, the ships would sink entirely—taking their crews with them.

Boom!

A black arm tore through the starry sky, slamming down so hard it ripped a vacuum fissure thousands of miles wide—space itself kept collapsing in its wake.

With impacts like that, it didn’t matter if you dodged the palm. If you fell into the imploding, compressed void, ninety-nine percent of Torch Battleships wouldn’t survive.

“No, that’s the second time it’s struck us! The fleet stretches so far, yet it keeps targeting us.”

Yaohan Kingdom, joint fleet of Six-Tier Noble Houses, Stark Family group chat.

Right now, angry shouts from Stark Family captains—mostly Fourth and Fifth-Tier—filled the chat.

Their desperation was understandable.

Last time, without a Star-Annihilator for cover, over a quarter of the family’s fleet was destroyed. If it happened again, no one dared imagine the consequences.

Ever since Hardy Stark’s failed attempt to field a Star-Annihilator, the family had faced setback after crippling setback for centuries.

First, their last Dreadnought vanished out of nowhere while exploring the Outer Domain. Then, rival factions in the kingdom steadily chipped away at what little territory and resources they had left.

But the worst came from behind the scenes—the Yaohan Kingdom’s three Immortal Houses fueling the Stark Family’s decline.

Now the Starks were left with just one Dreadnought Captain. They simply couldn’t afford another heavy loss.

“Is fate itself out to destroy the Stark Family?”

Staring up at the enormous descending handprint, the few remaining Stark battlecruiser and Dreadnought captains could only scream inwardly at the injustice.

But suddenly, another imposing shape charged forth from the rear. Covered entirely in armor, this giant figure absorbed most of the demon’s power, minimizing damage to the remaining Stark fleet.

“Thank you, sir… and to your friend as well. The Stark Family owes you more than we can say!”

Carem Stark was the first to recover, turning to face their savior—a Seventh-Tier Zerg commander. He’d expected a Star-Annihilator, but when he saw the Heavenly Ruin mirror battleship, his tone shifted.

Grateful as he was, he couldn’t help but hesitate. After all, that was only a Dreadnought, like his own—and it wasn’t proper to call a peer ‘sir.’

“Carem, it’s been too long. Looks like things haven’t been going well for your family.”

On the open comm channel, Song Chi spoke up first.

Carem’s expression flickered when he heard that ethereal voice.

“It’s you, Song Chi of the Song Family of Longji?”

He hesitated a moment, then still managed to offer his thanks.

“Thank you for your help this time. But what exactly does the Song Family want?”

The two families had a rocky history, and Carem knew it. Their past collaboration had ended badly.

So he was well aware—this wasn’t some random act of kindness. There had to be a reason.

“Since you’re being frank, I’ll get straight to the point. The Song Family wants that Mermaid Queen’s Blessing component you have.”

That’s right—Song Wujian had his sights set on the golden component Hardy Stark had shown off during the Tianpan Galaxy’s expansion war.

With its outstanding stats and the ability to triple a fleet’s combat power, Song Wujian valued it highly. That’s why he sent Song Chi to see if the Starks might part with it.

Sure enough, Carem’s face instantly grew dark. He forced himself not to show any outright hostility, but the cold gleam in his eyes gave him away.

“That’s impossible…”

But Song Chi cut him off before he could finish:

“Let’s not be so hasty. Hear me out before you decide.”

He paused, then added:

“But first, we need a confidentiality agreement. Even if you decline, you can’t share any details of our discussion with anyone else.”

Carem thought it over for a moment, then agreed.

Right after, the Scorching Sea Blazer zipped over as well.

The three of them used the Covenant of Flame to sign a gold-level secrecy protocol. Only once that was done did Song Chi continue.

“I don’t need to tell you how bad things look for the Stark Family. If you give us the Mermaid Queen’s Blessing, the Song Family is willing to grant you a new domain, far from the Yaohan Kingdom’s reach.”

That made Carem’s eyes narrow. He was clearly interested now, though still a bit suspicious.

“What exactly do you mean?”

“We’ve already allied with the Chigu Luo Clan of the Goldenplate Galaxy, and in the coming war we intend to claim the entire Chipan Galaxy. Once it’s ours, we’ll found a new kingdom—and if you agree, the Stark Family will have a rightful place in it.”

“Your territory in Yaohan Kingdom is almost gone, and that thin Morningstar Kingdom patch you got centuries ago is poor and right beside Yaohan’s border. It’s a matter of time before enemy factions swallow that up too. You’ll never rise again if you stay in the Tianpan Galaxy—this is your shot at a comeback, isn’t it?”

As Song Chi spelled it out, Carem’s eyes lit up with hope.

He pondered for a long while before asking,

“How can I trust you? If we win Chipan Galaxy, how much land will go to the Starks?”

Song Chi clearly had these answers ready.

“Allotment specifics can be discussed later. As for trust—we’ll sign another formal agreement.”

“Deal!”

In the end, Carem accepted. He’d only been a Dreadnought Captain for less than two millennia, but with over four thousand years’ experience, he knew a good offer. The Song Family’s deal was frankly the Starks’ last good chance; hesitate now, and the family would be erased piece by piece.

So they might as well break free from the Tianpan Galaxy’s cage and try to build something new in the Chipan Galaxy.

And most crucially, this offer came from the Song Family. If it had been from an ordinary Sixth-Tier clan, Carem wouldn’t have considered it for a second.

After all, it was the three Immortal Houses of Yaohan Kingdom that targeted them—only a powerhouse like the Song Family could possibly break the cage.

Only the Song Family, now stronger than ever, could make this happen.

Just as Carem was preparing to sort out the next agreement, Song Chi interjected:

“Can we see the complete attributes of the Mermaid Queen’s Blessing?”

The stats Hardy Stark had shown off in the past had been incomplete. Now, Song Chi wanted to know exactly what the component could do.

“Of course!”

Mermaid Queen’s Blessing, Level 70

Rarity: Gold

Trait 1: Mermaid’s Blessing: Power (Doubles armament firepower of equipped warship)

Trait 2: Mermaid’s Blessing: Speed (Doubles movement speed of equipped warship)

Trait 3: Mermaid’s Blessing: Endurance (Doubles defensive capacity of equipped warship)

Trait 4: Deep Sea Link

Trait 5: Lord of the Deep Sea

……