Chapter 729: The Price of Rebellion

Within the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon galaxy cluster, the central star systems are still holding out, including the untouched northern star system group.

Inside thousands upon thousands of Living Floating-Lands, countless Eight-Armed Serpent Demons howl in agony. The Nine-Headed Hydra bloodline they’d always prided themselves on is being forcibly ripped away bit by bit. The pain cuts deep—straight to the soul and bone.

As the bloodline power is torn from them, their very life force is slowly drained as well. Born of this blood, they’re forever shackled to it. As long as that aloof Bloodline Overlord above wishes, a mere wave of their hand can strip these demons of everything they ever took pride in.

If only the Eight-Armed Serpent Demons hadn’t played so many tricks and instead served the Eight-Armed Demon God loyally—supplying a steady stream of resources and life energy—then, as an ancient demon god, it would surely have continued reaping steady gains patiently, not all at once.

There’d have been no need for this furious, one-time bloodline extraction. But the joint schemes of that ruling faction among the Eight-Armed Serpent Demons have clearly pushed the Overlord past all restraint.

Still, if you look closely, you’ll see that only a minority of Eight-Armed Serpent Demons are actually having their bloodlines torn out. More than half, though wracked with tremors and their bodies glowing red from violently boiling blood, have a secret seven-colored light within them holding back the turmoil.

In the northern star system group of the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon galaxy cluster, the Molten Serpent Floating-Land stands out.

Out of nearly a hundred northern star systems, the Molten Serpent Floating-Land is the only ninth-tier Floating-land. It isn’t just a central holy ground for the Eight-Armed Serpent Demons of the north—it’s also where some of the civilization’s secret weapons are kept.

At this very moment, in the floating-land’s core, a critical trump card is being activated by an Eighth-Tier peak Serpent Demon Dominator.

Unlike the other ninth-tier floating-lands, the Molten Serpent Floating-Land’s rise is recent, with limited foundation. But the mythic relics bred from its origin core are even mightier than those of Demon God Floating-Land.

Why? Because although the foundation of Demon God Floating-Land far surpasses any regular ninth-tier, its origin core was split into ten portions. Over half went entirely to support the Eight-Armed Demon God. The remainder, less than half, got split further into nine, each nurturing a colored mythic relic.

So however high the foundation, how much nourishment could these mythic relics really gain?

In comparison, the Molten Serpent Floating-Land’s origin was only divided into three, letting three mythic relics gain much richer nurturing.

Now, one of the three pieces is unleashing intense multicolored light. A blinding furnace-shaped phantom emerges from the glowing core, radiating its power at full force.

Fused within that origin core is the mythic relic known as the Bloodforge. Though a rainbow-tier upper artifact, it has a unique power to seal bloodlines. If not for Cangli stumbling across it on a journey tens of thousands of years ago, they’d never have dared to rebel against the Eight-Armed Demon God.

The constant exploitation was simply unbearable. Every year, the Demon God took a staggering share of resources from the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon civilization. Worse, even knowing Demon God Floating-Land was on the verge of ascending to the Star Continent level, the Demon God nonetheless drained it of core energies, leaving Cangli and the other rulers utterly hopeless.

As for those Eight-Armed Serpent Demons who haven’t benefited from the Bloodforge’s sealing effect—some just never got the chance to have its mark imprinted within. It couldn’t be done openly, after all, so even after tens of thousands of years, there was no way to cover all the galaxy cluster’s serpents.

The rest were mostly filtered out for their fanatical faith in the Eight-Armed Demon God.

Ultimately, the source of the bloodline lies with the Demon God. No matter how much Cangli and other upper echelons tried to guide or re-educate secretly, that fact remains. For the sake of secrecy, these fanatics were the first excluded from the plan.

……

Meanwhile, above the Heavens of Demon God Floating-Land—

Endless blood-red threads stream in from all sides beyond the floating-land. Each thread looks delicate but carries dense, pure blood-energy—drawn from a multitude of lower and mid-tier Eight-Armed Serpent Demons. For them, it’s their entire lifetime’s vitality, though here and there are threads tinged with silvery energy from Dominator-level serpents.

Within just this short moment, the total blood energy amassed has already surpassed what Pei Dinan Akleimon expended summoning that Bloodspawn before.

That’s what happens when the raw numbers come from an ancient apex civilization’s population. Cangli and the other six Ninth-Tier Serpent Demons spent tens of thousands of years making preparations, but it’s still almost impossible to offset all the ramifications of this bloodline purge.

“The bloodline purge is barely half as effective as it should be. You all prepared well. Not bad!”

“But you’re underestimating…”

“The Chains of Order won’t hold much longer. Jiang Yuan, Pei Dinan, Ying Yi, now! As long as we can sever these two Demon God arms, I can break the bloodline shackles on our people. If we succeed, the entire serpent demon galaxy cluster will be handed to Torch Civilization—with no strings attached!”

Sensing ever more blood energy pouring from all directions, Cangli—his eyes now gleaming red—shouted in a harsh, desperate voice.

He knew that most of those blood threads came from the Demon God’s own fanatical followers. Still, each and every one was a living member of their race.

That thought filled the hearts of Cangli and the other Ninth-Tier serpents with a bottomless rage—and an aching sadness.

Every one of these sacrifices is their civilization’s heritage. Each extra second spent only burns more of it away, and it will take centuries or millennia to rebuild what’s lost.

Especially since, after this, they’ll be journeying to another star system cluster, which means even more war. Preserving as much heritage as possible is the only chance the Eight-Armed Serpent Demons have for a future.

But what truly shook Cangli the most were the three distant Ninth-Tier Serpent Demons still struggling desperately.

Aside from the six open rebels and the one killed as a Bloodspawn while attacking Song Chi, only three of the original ten Ninth-Tiers remain.

These three either always followed the Demon God loyally, or never revealed their stance at all.

Without the Bloodforge’s shielding, their immense, mercury-like life force is being relentlessly siphoned out. With every moment, the power those three give off weakens.

One, never having chosen a side until now, even begged Cangli for help—but Cangli coldly refused.

A Ninth-Tier Serpent Demon is like a doomsday nuclear warhead to a top-tier civilization. At a time like this, Cangli couldn’t afford to leave such a volatile danger in his hands.

One moment of mercy now, and if they betray you at the crucial hour, the Eight-Armed Demon God could once again haunt the Serpent Demon civilization—something they’ve barely survived before and could not endure again.

Cangli’s outcry was the signal—suddenly, both sides shifted their focus in unison to a new target high above.

One Eight-Armed Serpent Demon summoned a Serpent Demon Avatar, unleashing a fist seal and slamming it toward the petrified Demon God arms overhead, no hesitation at all.

By contrast, the assault from the Torch Battleship Fleet was a spectacle of overwhelming force.

Under the Azure Dragon Starlit Array Chart of the Song Family, more than ten million Torch Battleships charged their cannons in unison. The amassed energy nearly drained this entire patch of Floating-Land’s sky. Above them, the colossal phantom of an azure dragon coalesced almost fully, roaring toward the heavens.

“Azure Dragon Starlit Array Chart”—Fury of the Azure Dragon, World-Ending Dragon Breath!

“Beidou Sevenstar Hall”—Cosmic Beidou Star Annihilation Strike!

“Dragon Sparrow Blade”—Divine Dragon Sparrow Sever!

“Pantheon Tableau”—Celestial Holy Light!

“Empyrean Sword”—Human Emperor Rift of Light!

“Crimson Dragon Monument”—Draconic Magic, Heaven Scorched and Seas Boiled!

“Light of Order”—Light of Order!

……

Devastating attacks erupted, one after another. Each unleashed energy surges that would terrify any Ninth-Tier Serpent Demon watching. With all these forces combined, even with half-mythic strength, Cangli now felt his life under dire threat.

He hadn’t even felt this close to death when facing the Tri-Corpse Hyperstate Mecha Giant head-on.

That final blow came straight from the giant’s energy core.

This Light of Order, formed by nearly ten thousand Star-Annihilator-class Ships, two Superdimensional Motherships, and dozens of Star River-class Battleships, carried power beyond any ordinary mythic attack. All the other assaults targeted the Demon God’s first arm; only the Light of Order struck the second.

“Khua’e Gao!”

That same murmured chant echoed from deep within the storm vortex overhead—except this time, it was not fiery with rage but filled only with endless wailing.

A billion strikes thundered down onto those arms. Like the old saying goes—with enough ants, you can bring down an elephant. Here, among the ‘ants’ were a few wild tigers, too.

The onslaught raged for a long time before it finally subsided. Both pitch-black demon arms were soon drenched in blood.

But mythic beings are truly monstrous. Even faced with such concentrated fire, the two arms didn’t lose all vitality. Chaotic forces still crawled within them, trying to knit their ruined flesh back together.

Yet under those terrible blasts, the previous restraints were nearly undone. The Demon God’s arms began to thrash once more.

The serpents weren’t done yet—next they activated another mythic relic, this one a rainbow-tier longbow. The bowstring drew taut, gathering multicolored energy into an arrow, released instantly at lightning speed.

Not to be left behind, the Tri-Corpse Hyperstate Mecha Giant—under the Jiang Emperor’s control—sent the mirror image Bloodspawn flying toward the heart of the storm vortex overhead.

The rainbow arrow struck one of the Demon God arms true, while the mirror Bloodspawn wasted no time in reaching the vortex’s core and instantly detonated.

It was just a mirror after all, and its time limit was nearly up. One final explosion made the most of it.

A mythic-level suicide blast up close can deal damage to rival all the battleships’ focused bombardments before.

A fierce blast ripped through the sky, scattering the pitch-black storm vortex above.

At that sight, cheers and excitement broke out among the countless mid- and lower-level Torch Captains and Eight-Armed Serpent Demons.

Meanwhile, deep within the Bottomless Abyss—the Melting Abyss.

The Crimson Molten Expanse.

Overhead, the thick blood clouds quickly dispersed. Every erupting volcano calmed instantly.

As the Demon God’s main stronghold, the Crimson Molten Expanse was entirely occupied by both the Eight-Armed Demon Race and the Abyssal Nine-Headed Hydra clan. This sprawling, chaotic domain provided both races with ample space and rare resources, shaping them into the greatest powers of the Melting Abyss.

Between the two, they counted over a hundred Ninth-Tier combatants. Their formidable presence kept all other demon clans in the chaos domains at bay.

But today, a rule quietly accepted for millions of years was shattered—by the arrival of an uninvited guest.

A vast pressure settled across the entire Crimson Molten Expanse, the undisguised life force of a mythic being racing straight for the domain’s heart, radiating pure malice.

That brazen provocation enraged many Ninth-Tier rulers on both sides, but when they rose to meet the threat, they were crushed by the overwhelming mythic force before they could even react.

This was no distant attack through starry voids—it was another abyssal demon god’s real body, descending in person. There’s simply no contest.

As the invading demon god neared the heart of the Crimson Molten Expanse, a massive nine-headed serpent blocked the way.

As mount to the Demon God, the Abyssal Nine-Headed Hydra was itself a savage, ancient monster. Although yet to formally step into a true mythic rank, it reached half-mythic long ago, and with the Eight-Armed Divine Realm’s reinforcement, it forced the newcomer back.

Afterward, peace returned to the Crimson Molten Expanse. Yet everyone knew it was merely the calm before the storm. So long as the Eight-Armed Demon God failed to appear, the probing wouldn’t stop.

The Melting Abyss was vast, even bigger than a typical Star Continent. Over eons, plenty of demon gods were born within. Now, with the Eight-Armed Demon God wounded, every force was bound to start scheming.

……

Neither Torch Human Civilization nor the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon Civilization knew the details in the Melting Abyss, but they could guess.

The Melting Abyss lay at the deepest levels of the Bottomless Abyss—a realm both most dangerous and most terrifying. Here, demon gods are many, and the current crisis must have stirred all manner of turmoil.

This instability was also what allowed the two civilizations to cooperate in secret. With no one holding them back, they could each focus on strengthening themselves. By the time the Eight-Armed Demon God awoke from its slumber, perhaps neither side would fear him anymore.

As the two severed black demon arms came crashing down, the still-fused Tri-Corpse Hyperstate Mecha Giant and Cangli darted ahead, each snatching one arm without hesitation.

Don’t be fooled by the battered, pitted state of these arms—they’re by far the most valuable spoils of this war.

They came from a true mythic. The blood within is nearly priceless, each drop able to boost a Star River-class Battleship’s odds of breaking into Superdimensional Mothership rank. If eighty percent of it is purified into mythic origin blood, it would greatly aid the Shensia Jiuli’s own breakthrough to Tenth-Tier.

For the serpent demon race, Demon God blood and flesh are the very key to unlocking their bloodline shackles—utterly invaluable.

……

Inside the Tri-Corpse Hyperstate Mecha Giant, the three Torch Human Emperors were all quietly smiling.

“With these Demon God arms, we’ve got even more confidence in pushing the Shensia Jiuli to Tenth-Tier!”

“That’s for later. Right now, what matters is fulfilling our deal with the serpent demons. Only once they’ve reached the Truth Mechanicus Civilization’s territory can we truly call this finished—and take our final step.”

With that, the trio didn’t shed the mecha giant form. Instead, they continued conversing with Cangli face to face.

Though both parties had indeed signed a colored high-tier cooperation contract, it was hardly foolproof. What if the other side still hid a contract-breaking relic of equal rank?

Maintaining the mecha giant form kept them safe and asserted some deterrent against the serpent demons, ensuring the other side was desperate to relocate quickly to the Mechanicus territory. There’d be no need to push them to move any faster.

“Cangli, as stated in our contract, once this is over you must put the migration at the top of your agenda!”

“No worries. Trust me—none of us want to stick around next to Torch Civilization any longer than you do. I’ve already given the full migration order. Still, before we settle in Mechanicus territory, we need to check things out ourselves. It’s our civilization’s whole future—we have to see it with our own eyes!”

“That’s not an issue. You can go anytime.”

“Another thing—let’s confirm the contract; after migration, we’ll still help you clear out Truth Mechanicus and Starsea Giant Ape Civilization. But as compensation, we want hunting rights to all high-level Starsea Giant Apes, including their corpses. Everything else from the battlefield, we split fifty-fifty!”

The discussion went smoothly, with no disagreements. It really was a win-win.

Torch Civilization would gain control of the entire snake demon galaxy cluster, while the Eight-Armed Serpent Demons could escape the Demon God and start anew in an unclaimed cluster—complete mutual benefit. For any lesser issues, neither side was inclined to argue.

The talks went on for quite some time, before Cangli finally raised a surprising new request.

“Once this cooperation is over, may we keep our wormhole passage intact?”

“After more than a hundred thousand years of conflict due to bordering realms and Demon God interference, things will change. If we’re truly separated by trillions of light years now, there’s practically nothing left to fight over. Why not become allies instead?”

The three Torch Human Emperors inside the mecha giant didn’t answer right away, exchanging a meaningful look.

They’d lived for hundreds of thousands of years and seen it all—it was easy to read the serpent demons’ intentions.

If everything were as simple as Cangli claimed, an alliance between two apex civilizations could bring endless mutual prosperity—just the free trade alone would be priceless.

But trusting words is easy—could either truly trust freely afterward?

Right now, Torch Civilization’s strength had far outstripped the Serpent Demon Civilization’s. Soon, once both sides had fully settled their new domains, the Torch side would become even more formidable. Who could guarantee the serpent demons would remain comfortable with free movement and trade between them then?

Still, hope or not, the trio agreed quickly.

A faint hope is better than none, and there’d be plenty to gain from trading in the meantime regardless. If an alliance did happen, so much the better. If not—well, they’d still make profit from these years in between.

With the agreement reached, the Torch Human Civilization and the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon Civilization both began to distance themselves.

One side threw itself into preparing the migration, while the other stepped up and, per the rules set by the Four Empires, methodically took over the remaining unconquered star domains from the serpents.

There was no friction at all; both leaderships had issued strict orders—anyone who dared breach them would suffer a brutal punishment.

And most important of all—

The final merits lists and rewards of the Demon God Floating-Land War were about to be settled.

The battle itself only lasted halfway before the serpent civilization’s mass defection, but the merit points earned were still very real.

With days of tallying by the Four Great Empires’ stats department, a final tally was revealed at last today.