Chapter 642: Ambush Among the Stars

Song Chi studied the newly ascended Flamewrath Giant for a while, and soon realized its presence far surpassed that of the three Tribulation Immortals from the Primeval Continent. In fact, even compared to most Sovereign creatures that had been at the seventh tier for tens of thousands of years, it was still stronger.

It was just that unreasonable. After all, it ranked in the fifth tier of the Sea of Stars’ Bloodline Chart, born as a favorite of the universe.

Even if the Flamewrath Giant wasn’t among the top of the Star Giant race, and couldn’t compare to the Titans, its bloodline potential still crushed more than ninety-nine percent of all known lifeforms in the Sea of Stars.

Once he confirmed the Flamewrath Giant’s breakthrough, Song Chi wasted no time. He piloted the Heavenly Ruin to turn about, and as soon as they left the flamespace, he first recalled the battleship then returned straight to the family’s fleet.

Breaking through from tier three to four, six to seven, and nine to ten—these were all monumental leaps in the Sea of Stars. Like the period of Law Comprehension when advancing from three to four, there was a similar transformative phase moving from six to seven.

Now that the Flamewrath Giant had just advanced, the next ten years—or even longer—would be a critical window for explosive growth in both mind and law comprehension. So of course, keeping it here in the flamespace made perfect sense.

……

The Min Serpent Galaxy lay just north of Yan Serpent Galaxy. Unlike its neighbor, the Min Serpent Galaxy was a rare, vast region—stretching even beyond the Tianpan Galaxy, which itself measured over 1.8 million light-years. The Min Serpent Galaxy spanned more than two million light-years across.

Southern Min Serpent Galaxy, Silver Core Star Domain.

BZZZZZZT!

Suddenly, with violent spatial ripples, a wide portal tore open in the dark expanse of space.

Moments later, all shapes and sizes of warships surged out of the rift, pouring into the void.

This spatial gate marked the arrival of the Xian Qin Divine Dynasty’s 11th Advance Fleet—the joint force of the Dragonspine Song Family, the Lingyue Zhao Clan, and others.

After that massive long-range transfer gate finally activated, the 11th Advance Fleet set foot for the first time in the Min Serpent Galaxy.

Due to various factors, the Song and Luo Families’ Joint Fleet had always occupied spots toward the middle or rear of the overall formation.

So by the time their fleets arrived via the stargate, the bulk of the joint fleet had already assembled.

Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang encrypted group chat:

“Elder, how’s the situation?”

That question came from Song Shiyuan.

Song Wujian quickly replied:

“According to Star-Annihilator group chat logs, since the stargate opened, there have only been two skirmishes. Both involved low-tier Eight-Armed Serpent Demons or Serpent Motherships, none above the fifth tier, and the total count was just a few tens of thousands.”

Even Song Xingru, who’d just switched shifts with Song Shixing, could sense something was off.

She said, “They practically handed us the Yan Serpent Galaxy. Are they planning to give up the Min Serpent Galaxy too?”

You couldn’t blame her for thinking that. Things were eerily quiet—a kind of peace that felt unnatural.

What about the previous squads of fifth tier or lower Serpent Demons?

That was even stranger. By the joint fleet’s own calculations, if the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon Civilization abandoned Yan Serpent Galaxy, they’d surely fortify the Min Serpent Galaxy with major defenses to halt their eleventh fleet’s advance.

Under that assumption, even if there weren’t eighth-tier Serpent Demons on patrol, there should be at least two Sovereign-level (seventh tier) Serpent Demon Dominators on guard.

Only seeing low-tier squads? It was suspicious—almost as if they were being set up.

Of course, Song Family wasn’t alone in their doubts. Every faction in the joint fleet grew more alert, keeping their fleets on high alert, ready for anything.

Not only that, but each sent out elite recon fleets with powerful stealth abilities, hoping to scout for danger nearby.

……

In the Song Family’s group chat, Song Tianhao suddenly spoke up:

“Should we send out our own scouts too?”

Just as Song Wujian was about to agree, Song Chi’s urgent shout broke in.

“No! It’s an ambush!”

The warning sent a chill through everyone in the chat. Before anyone could ask, Song Chi had already uploaded two images.

They weren’t just any screenshots. These came straight from the Patrol Radar’s Eyes of Heaven, showing ultra-long-range readings.

Both images displayed over a hundred Eight-Armed Serpent Demons standing tall in the starry dark. There weren’t many—just a little over a hundred—but each one loomed over ten thousand kilometers high, all Sovereign-class. Worse, five of them were true eighth-tier Serpent Demon Dominators, towering up to a million kilometers.

“Over a hundred Serpent Demon Dominators. They’re gathering their peak force to wipe out the joint fleet!”

A wave of dread swept over the Song Family’s core members in the encrypted group chat.

The 11th Advance Fleet had just over thirty Star-Annihilator-class Ships, and only one Star River-class—the Blood Sui Zhenyuan. Facing more than four times their strength, losing the whole fleet wasn’t just a fear, it was a real possibility.

Still, Song Wujian’s composure was unrivaled. He spoke up at once.

“Follow Xiaochi’s lead. Everyone, redirect your fleets and retreat back the way we came—”

But Song Wujian stopped mid-sentence as he caught Song Chi shaking his head out of the corner of his eye.

He trusted him. So he acted instantly.

“There’s no time! Split up right now. Prepare to evacuate the family fleet through a spatial wormhole!”

Even as he spoke, the Calm-Sea Dragon-Xiang began to shine with golden light. In the blink of an eye, a swirling vortex spun open before the Song Family fleet, rapidly forming into a giant wormhole entrance.

Under the swift command of Song Shiyuan, Song Shixing, Song Chi, Song Yan, and others, the Song Family fleet sped toward the spatial wormhole—surprised glances coming from the other fleets in the alliance.

Meanwhile, thousands of light-years away, in another patch of space—

Three Zhulu-class Torch Battleships burst from a hyperspace channel and raced at light speed in a particular direction.

Warship Magnetic Communications Group Chat:

“Captain, are we really going to jump straight over six thousand light years? The order was to scout nearby!”

“Yeah! Out here, even if we do run into the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon Fleet, we can’t be sure what they’re up to.”

“Shut up. Every major family has scouts out. The airspace around our fleet will be turned inside out soon enough—who’s gonna miss our three ships?”

“How many times do I have to say it? Keep your wits about you! If there might be an ambush, you can be sure the Serpent Demons have thought of it too. If they’re planning something, it’s nothing for them to place a trap thousands or even tens of thousands of light-years away. Hiding right next to our fleet is the amateur move!”

The three Zhulu-class captains—each from an Immortal House—continued their discussion, unaware that the deadliest crisis in history was waiting just ahead.

Thanks to the remote vision granted by the Eyes of Heaven, Song Chi already knew time was running out.

Sure enough, if those three Zhulu-class cruisers discovered the presence of over a hundred and twenty Serpent Demon Dominators, it wouldn’t matter if they raised the alarm or not. The Serpent Demons would act instantly.

The only reason they’d stayed hidden this long was because the joint fleet hadn’t fully arrived. They wanted the entire alliance to transmit in before striking—crushing all possible resistance in one move.

Clearly, this ambush had been plotted for ages—they wouldn’t risk it with chance.

……

Xian Qin Divine Dynasty 11th Advance Fleet total group chat:

“King Dinghai, what are you Song Family people up to now?”

“Song Wujian, let me warn you—abandoning the fleet without reason counts as cowardice, even desertion. After the battle, you’ll be judged at the Torch Judgement Court!”

The Song Family’s sudden maneuver left everyone in the joint fleet utterly baffled.

Meanwhile, Song Wujian watched his fleet slipping through the wormhole in an orderly retreat. Song Chi signaled that the Serpent Demon Dominators would soon be found by the scouts, so he wasted no time. He sent those two images directly into the chat.

“We discovered this thanks to a special component. The location is 6,300 light years from where we are now. If my guess is right, those Serpent Demon Dominators will use mass teleportation and appear right above us!”

“What the—!”

“Are you sure about this, King Dinghai? This is huge. Can you stand by your words?”

As the chat filled with people gasping, the usually aloof Blood Sui Dynasty founder, Prince Zhenyuan, finally spoke.

“Song Wujian, can you confirm this?”

“A hundred percent—”

……

Before Song Wujian could finish, another panic-stricken voice broke in.

“Prince Zhaonan, what happened?”

“All my recon ships are gone. Here’s the last message they sent back.”

With that, this noble from a southern galaxy of Xian Qin uploaded another message.

It was short—just four words—but enough to put everyone on edge.

“A hundred kings—run!”

Instantly, no one doubted Song Wujian’s warning any longer.

All at once, the joint fleet’s group chats pinned the same order to the top.

“All hands, retreat at full speed!”

The command came from each Star-Annihilator-class Captain—living legends to the fleet. As soon as those captains gave the word, everybody obeyed without question.

Star-Annihilator-class Captains were the highest military authority in the fleet—practically worshipped by their crews. Their words were law.

Thanks to that, the withdrawal proceeded at an astonishing pace. Keep this up, and the whole fleet could escape soon.

But the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon side had no intention of giving them a chance.

Just a few seconds after the retreat order, the starry sky above the joint fleet roared with massive spatial turbulence, spreading like a tidal wave.

The instant that overwhelming wave hit, Yang Song, in the Blood Sui Zhenyuan’s main control room, felt his heart sink.

A black anti-jump module he’d deployed to shield the fleet was shredded in an instant.

He’d hoped to delay the arrival of the Serpent Demon Dominators, betting on the wormhole opened by Song Wujian. Even though the anti-jump field stopped most Torch Battleships from warping out, its area couldn’t cover the whole massive entrance.

If he managed to buy just a bit of time, get over half the fleet evacuated, he’d be free to pilot the Blood Sui Zhenyuan out with a clear conscience.

If he succeeded—if more than half the fleet survived even against a joint ambush by over 120 Sovereign-class Serpent Demons—the command center wouldn’t blame him for dereliction. Actually, he might even get rewarded.

But that hope had been shattered.

“Rainbow—It’s got to be a rainbow-mythic quality mass teleportation Oddity!”

Suppressing his frustration, Yang Song’s heavy voice echoed through the group chat.

“All Star-Annihilator-class Ships, with me! Prepare to engage. Anyone who flees will be dealt with after the battle at the Torch Judgement Court!”

It wasn’t possible to run. He had to put up a fight for show, if nothing else—otherwise, even if he escaped, the Torch Judgement Court would never let him off. Unless he wanted to cut all ties with civilization and drift forever, he’d at least have to pretend to resist, to buy time for the regular ships.

All this flashed through Yang Song’s mind in an instant. He pulled every Star-Annihilator-class Captain onto his side. There was no self-sacrifice here—the more ships soaking up damage, the better his own odds.

The Star-Annihilator-class Captains were stoic on the surface, but inwardly they were cursing Yang Song’s family a thousand times over.

Resent it as they might, they had no choice but to obey. The Torch Judgement Court’s oversight of Star River-class ships was strict—but over Star-Annihilator-class Captains, it was even stricter.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, what could three dozen Star-Annihilator-class Ships do against over a hundred Sovereigns?

Yang Song spoke again.

“Anyone with Sovereign-class enslaved beasts, summon them now! Whether we can hold or not depends on this. Also, leave three Dreadnoughts from each family to help!”

Above them, the one hundred and twenty massive Serpent Demon figures had fully revealed themselves.