Chapter 702: Hidden Depths of the Serpent Valley

The deal was done. While the issue over that drop of Eighth-Tier Abyssal Nine-Headed Hydra Source Blood meant it wasn’t a perfect win‑win, both sides undeniably benefited.

So in the aftermath, the Komoyin Serpent Sorcerer Family stayed amicable—even before the market event had wrapped up, they had a Sixth-Tier sorcerer enter and meticulously record everything inside.

Even though their true spirit sorcerers didn’t enter in person due to time constraints, Song Chi had no worries.

With Brook Benjamin’s experience to reference, and the Sixth-Tier sorcerer having also seen the Crescent Moon Matriarch, several Level Seven Dominators from Divine Realm, and multiple other Seventh-Tier beings, he was certain the Komoyin Serpent Sorcerer Family’s true spirit sorcerers wouldn’t be able to resist the allure for long. Sooner or later, they’d show up at the market themselves.

When that happened, the trading scale of the market would level up again.

Because the Komoyin Serpent Sorcerer Family was so cautious during the deal, the Level Seven Nightmare Soul Body was never allowed to leave the guest hall, leaving Song Chi with little understanding of their family as a whole.

But with the market’s Tier Nine power boosting his mind, Song Chi could still use his psi-mark to sense the terror embodied by that Fang Floating-Land—a super-lifeland that could rival even the Demon Serpent Floating-Land.

Even that alone hinted at the Komoyin Serpent Sorcerer Family’s terrifying foundation.

Not to mention, the trio of legendary myth-oddities they tossed out effortlessly said it all.

…

Free Stall Area, Market—once the trading ended, Song Chi took the first chance to summon the Heavenly Ruin back.

Then he actively swapped out the Yin-Yang Counter-Phase Annihilation Shield for the Mythic Pulsar Energy Shield. Since he had the Destiny Compass, the former shield could be uninstalled without loss. With the fleet’s recent resource gains, Song Chi managed to strengthen both the Mythic Pulsar Energy Shield and the Dragonblood Demon-Sealing Chains up to level 90.

As for the Devastator Ship-Cleaving Blade, he was a bit short on resources, so it only made it to level 80 for now.

After those upgrades, the Heavenly Ruin’s stats skyrocketed again, especially with the new Mythic Pulsar Energy Shield, which far surpassed the old Yin-Yang Counter-Phase Annihilation Shield.

Mythic Pulsar Energy Shield, Level 90

Quality: Legendary (Lower Rank)

Effect 1: Increased energy shield protection by 470%

Effect 2: Shield value boosted by 470%

Effect 3: True Defense

Effect 4: Supercharged pulse waves constantly surround the shield, autonomously slashing 75% of all incoming damage.

Effect 5: The supercharged pulses continually recharge the shield; after any damage, the shield auto-recovers 9% of its max value per second.

…

Protection: 9.9 trillion

Shield Value: 3.3 teras/3.3 teras

…

{Mythic Pulse Wave: Consumes 3,000,000 Eon Energy Points to release a huge surge of mythic energy as a pulse wave in a chosen direction. Any unit hit will have its internal energy thrown into chaos—unable to channel any attacks for 14 seconds. All charging or charged attacks are forcibly interrupted. Cooldown: 48 hours.}

This legendary shield, enhanced to Tier Nine, could slash any incoming damage by 75%, plus it restored 9% of its depleted shield value each second.

But what really stunned Song Chi was its mind-boggling 9.9 trillion protection. For context, even a maxed-out Black Star-Annihilator Cannon only managed slightly above ten trillion in base damage. Its ‘True Damage’ perk might sound scary, but this shield’s ‘True Defense’ seriously cut that down. In practice, a same-tier Black Star-Annihilator’s real damage would barely make a dent.

Only by triggering its active attack modes could it dish out meaningful destruction.

Running the numbers, Song Chi looked at the Infinite Fallen Immortal Quantum Star-Annihilator Cannon on Heavenly Ruin. When activating all the right boosts—Swordlight, Blood Spear, and God of the Hunt’s Weakpoint Mark—it could theoretically unleash a 1.38 teraton strike.

Even without factoring in the Mythic Pulsar Shield’s damage reduction and true defense, that would only eat through 42% of the shield at best. Count in those abilities, and the effective damage dropped even further. All in all, the Heavenly Ruin now wore a veritable fortress shell. Unless an opponent had a mythic-grade weapon in hand, no peer could threaten it much.

But the real key was its ‘Wall of Legends’ effect. With it, the energy shield worked against every kind of attack—no more worrying about weapons targeting the ship directly, or weird sonic or soul-based assaults.

“This is what a legendary component means… One piece turned Heavenly Ruin—already stacked—into something at least two tiers higher.”

Just as he was marveling at this, one of Song Chi’s enslaved creatures signaled him with a message.

The vanguard fleet had reached a brand new galaxy, and the various factions had just received their assignments. Being the top force, the Song Family got dibs on conquering the capital floating-land of this system.

When Song Chi returned to realspace, he quickly got the full details.

This galaxy might not be huge, but its capital floating-land had a solid foundation—a true Level Seven peak floating-land, with outer shields just brushing Tier Eight. Even an Eighth-Tier Ashura Emperor would have a hard time cracking it quickly.

That’s why the Song Family called in Song Chi—Heavenly Ruin’s firepower, plus Calm‑Sea Dragon‑Xiang and an Ashura Emperor, gave them the best chance to punch through fast.

Song Chi naturally agreed on the spot.

Outside this titanic floating-land, five fleets from the Canglong Fleet spread out, with azure dragon phantoms swirling above their ships as they relentlessly hammered away at the energy shield.

Each Canglong Fleet’s hundreds of thousands of Torch Battleships unleashed an endless torrent of firepower at the oval shield.

Elsewhere on the shield, two Star-Annihilator-class ships and a Tier Eight Ashura Emperor attacked with wild abandon.

“Skybreaker Drill: Light of Severance!”

“Blood Spear: Blood Judgment!”

“Divine Thunder Cannon: Ten-Thousand Sigil Violet Lightning Prison!”

“Infinite Fallen Immortal Quantum Star-Annihilator: Fallen Immortal Sword Formation—Ten Thousand Swords As One!”

“Flame God Annihilator Cannon: Annihilation Star-Shatter Strike!”

“Ashura Chronosaber!”

…

Blood-red spears, endless phantom greatswords, swirling pillars of annihilation, the looming shadow of a giant saber forged from time itself…

Wave after wave of attacks, enough to send any ordinary Tier Seven Dominator fleeing, crashed onto the floating-land’s shield.

Considering the floating-land’s colossal size—nearly 20,000 light-years in diameter—this level of attack might seem normal. But the Star-Annihilators and Ashura Emperor only ever hit the exact same spot on its shield.

Once or twice made little difference. But as the assault wore on, even this near-Tier Nine super-shield began to show a web of cracks in the targeted spot.

This caught the attention of several Eight-Armed Serpent Demons inside. Through the shield, Song Chi could see figures erupt from hidden sites and surge upward, their Dominion Power exploding as they shot for the sky, roaring.

Normally, the shield’s visual block, plus the interior clouds’ cover, would make detecting anything nearly impossible from outside. But Song Chi was different—his dual-pupil gaze, supercharged by Tier Seven dark energy, plus Chongyu’s own seventh-tier breakthrough, let him catch every key detail.

“Six serpent demons at Tier Seven—and one at Tier Eight. There’s an Eighth-Tier Eight-Armed Serpent Demon guarding this place!”

But spotting the serpent demon lurking beneath the clouds didn’t rattle Song Chi. If anything, he grew even calmer.

“Now you finally make your move? Too late!”

His thoughts shifted. The Infinite Fallen Immortal Quantum Star-Annihilator was primed again—but not for the previous sword formation. This time, he unleashed its strongest single-target move: Infinite Fallen Immortal Quantum Swordlight.

At the same time, he triggered the Black Hole Evolution Layer’s ultimate—Black Hole Singular Burst.

Whoosh!

After a deafening shockwave, a colossal quantum swordlight roared forth. It struck the very heart of the web of cracks on the shield, just before the Tier Eight serpent demon could arrive.

Crack!

A sharp shattering sound echoed across the stars. The floating-land’s shield broke apart completely.

Hisss!

Down below, the charging Eight-Armed Serpent Demon’s eyes burned red as it gave a long, piercing howl.

Song Chi didn’t care. He sent the Ashura Emperor crashing in first, immediately tangling with the half-mad serpent demon.

Meanwhile, Song Chi and Song Mingsong, at the helms of their own ships and leading five Canglong squads, charged at the Tier Seven Serpent Demons.

Heavenly Ruin was a terror on its own, and with several seventh-tier enslaved creatures backing them up, the Song Family’s side made short work of every Serpent Demon Dominator.

Of course, Song Shiyuan and his Unmoving Vajra took the final kills.

Despite not matching up to Heavenly Ruin or Scorching Sea Blazer, the Unmoving Vajra had been evolving for a thousand years. Add in what they’d built up during the last civilization war, and it was nearly ready to ascend to Star-Annihilator class.

The Blood Chalice, recently moved from Scorching Sea Blazer, was now mounted on the Unmoving Vajra. So whenever it was possible, the family let Song Shiyuan handle the big serpent demon kills.

With the Tier Seven serpent demons wiped out, Heavenly Ruin and Calm‑Sea Dragon‑Xiang joined the distant eighth-tier battlefield.

“Dragonblood Demon-Sealing Chains: Dragonblood Subjugation!”

The moment Song Chi activated this new black component, now enhanced to Tier Nine, the amount of inky-black chains launched from the void soared from just one to ten. During the Ashura Emperor’s battle with the serpent demon, all ten blood-stained chains locked onto it, binding it tight.

“Now!”

At Song Chi’s signal, Heavenly Ruin, Calm‑Sea Dragon‑Xiang, and the Ashura Emperor let loose every attack they’d been charging up for ages.

A violent energy explosion burst forth, laced with the faint howls of an eighth-tier serpent demon. When the energy storm settled, the serpent demon, reinforced by the floating-land’s origin will, was still stubbornly hanging on.

But just as they expected, a communication sub-device on the Unmoving Vajra came to life.

“Prime Ancestor, do it now!”

Song Shiyuan responded instantly.

“Star Annihilator’s Wrath, activate!”

As the golden component powered up, a main ship cannon shifted forms, turning into a Star-Annihilator Cannon, which then fired a blazing white beam.

That battered eighth-tier serpent demon finally collapsed beneath the Star-Annihilator’s blast. Its life was utterly snuffed out, and at the same time, the Blood Chalice now brimmed with a wisp of eighth-tier origin blood.

…

“Xiaochi, let’s take a look down below!”

On Song Wujian’s orders, the two Star-Annihilator-class ships sped toward the floating-land’s surface. As for the family’s huge fleet, they were ordered to remain up high, forbidden from landing.

That order was all because of the sudden appearance of several seventh-tier serpent demons—plus an eighth-tier one.

Before targeting this peak Level Seven floating-land, all Song Family radar scans reported just five Tier Seven serpent demons.

That’s why the Song Family took on this objective so boldly. In reality, neither the extra eighth-tier serpent demon nor the extra seventh-tiers were in their pre-battle plans.

Clearly, something was hidden on this floating-land they didn’t understand. That’s why upper management forbade anyone from acting alone.

Calm‑Sea Dragon‑Xiang and Heavenly Ruin were heading down for just one reason—to figure out what was really concealed here.

Above the mountain range on the floating-land’s surface.

The two Star-Annihilator ships hovered in silence, their massive hulls blotting out the sky and plunging the mountains below into darkness.

“That eighth-tier serpent demon showed up right here. Elder, better keep your distance!”

On the comm, Song Chi gave a reminder. Calm‑Sea Dragon‑Xiang pulled up higher as the Heavenly Ruin shifted into a micro-neutron star, its monstrous heat finally ebbing. Only then did it descend again.

Heavenly Ruin, now in micro-neutron star form, led the way as they drifted toward a nearby mountain.

They expected the shields to slam into the mountain at any second. But to their shock, as the neutron star dropped lower, it didn’t collide—if anything, it faded from sight.

Seconds later, and under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of Song Family clansmen above, Heavenly Ruin and Calm‑Sea Dragon‑Xiang both vanished without a trace.

“What happened? Where are the elder and Elder Chi?”

“Could it be a trap set by the Eight-Armed Serpent Demons? Should we notify the general in command?”

…

“No need to worry. There’s been no warning from the Elders! That means things are still fine!”

Thanks to Song Shiyuan’s reassurance, the panic in the group chat quickly subsided.

Truthfully, Song Shiyuan’s real confidence came from the Omniverse Market—not that he’d say so. All the Song Family core had been briefed on its status ever since even calamities on Demon Serpent Continent failed to touch it. Compared to that, a Level Seven peak floating-land was nothing. Unless the Market sent a warning, things were under control.

As neither Song Chi nor Song Shiyuan had reported any warnings through the Market, that meant everything was still manageable.

They kept these details from the broader family for good reason.

Right now, there was a functioning Omniverse Teleportation Platform on Longji, but only absolute core Song Family members knew about it—anyone Fourth Tier and above, with a handful of key Third-Tiers included.

Most of the tens of thousands of people present were only Second-Tier. Though elite, they were too many. Who knew how many spies had infiltrated by other factions? So caution was necessary.

…

They found themselves in a valley spanning tens of millions of kilometers—a large lake in its heart, most of the area covered in lush green plains. At first glance, Song Chi and Song Wujian felt like they’d stumbled onto an untouched paradise.

In a low-level civilization, this place would be a prime grassland for farming or livestock—a perfect foundation for any power to thrive.

But in the boundless Sea of Stars, it was worthless.

Yet this very valley made two veteran captains uneasy.

“Something’s wrong… this valley just feels off.”

Song Chi spoke up first on the comm.

Song Wujian nodded in agreement right after.

“That’s right. There’s a strange energy here. If I’m not mistaken, this is a special spirit land.”

…

The instant he heard ‘spirit land,’ Song Chi’s eyes lit up. He’d heard the term before, but hadn’t made the connection. Now, with the old elder’s hint, he immediately nodded.

Spirit land was a flexible term—every one was different.

Take the Misty Swamp, for example. Strictly speaking, that counted as a spirit land too, except its unique quality came from its anomalous mists. Those mists led to the evolution of the rare mistborn snakefolk.

Every spirit land arose from a rare mix of fate and environment, blessing its home floating-land with all kinds of miraculous effects. Some had rare resources, some made plants grow faster, and some directly improved the talents of living things. All in all, spirit lands were a special kind of resource.

Some rare spirit lands were actually worth more than even legendary myth-grade oddities.

Song Chi knew that the Beiqiong Shen Family managed a spirit land that could spawn Flamebirds. With their clan’s Void Sea Flame Phoenix inheritance, some core clansmen could bond to a flamebird as a life partner, boosting their fire affinity in turn.

Too bad Shen Youran missed out, given her background.

Song Chi and Song Wujian shared a look over the comm, and both ships—now shrunk down substantially—drifted towards the valley floor.

Having confirmed it was a spirit land, it was time to figure out exactly what kind they’d found.

After all, if it had warranted leaving an Eighth-Tier Eight-Armed Serpent Demon in person to guard it, this spirit land had to be extraordinary.

But before the two ships got far, they heard sharp splashes from the lake in the center.

Waves surged, and three more Eight-Armed Serpent Demons appeared to block their path.

“No good, all of them are Tier Eight! Elder, we’re pulling out!”

Song Chi’s dual pupils saw through their power at a glance, and he sprang into action.

The two ships rocketed upward, accelerating desperately to break free from the disguised valley.

Boom! Boom!

A moment later, two thunderous collisions rang out, both hulls shuddering violently as their ascent jerked to a stop.

Inside Heavenly Ruin’s control room, Song Chi’s face tightened.

The sky above had, without warning, changed into a seal, completely blocking any route of escape.

“Elder, get into the Market—now!”

The space was locked down, but the Omniverse Market was immune. Song Chi had meant to evacuate the ship too, but with the serpent demons closing in fast, there was no time.

He had to settle for something less.

Song Wujian wasted no time. Handing over control of his ship to its AI, he used his Market-Walking Token to enter the Market directly.

Song Chi, on the other hand, didn’t take the plunge.

He simply didn’t need to.

Hiss—

The warship’s hatch snapped open and the Flamewrath Giant stormed out in a roar.

Once it was free, the hatch slammed shut. At the same time, Song Chi activated the Celestial Authority Ring’s ‘Enslave Seal: Berserk’ power.

Instantly, the Flamewrath Giant’s aura shot up to Tier Eight.

He followed up by using ‘Mirror Image Split’—and a perfect duplicate of the Heavenly Ruin appeared from thin air.

With Song Chi giving orders, the wild Flamewrath Giant and the mirrored warship went after two of the serpent demons, while the original Heavenly Ruin targeted the last.

Inside the control room, Song Chi toyed with a Market Projection Token, hesitating for a second before shaking his head and putting it away.

Even though the valley was isolated by the serpent demons’ trick, Song Chi wasn’t sure outsiders were truly blind to what was happening. Using the projection token wasn’t guaranteed to be safe.

With that in mind, he decided to hold off for now—if something else changed, then he’d use it. No point jumping the gun.