Chapter 748: A Price Beyond Power
by xennovel“My sincerest apologies for keeping you waiting!”
The thing Song Chi feared most never came to pass. The Ying Clan of Tianzhu, as one of the four pillar factions of the Torch Human Civilization, wouldn’t dare commit any blatant acts of misconduct—no matter if it was just a side branch under their command.
Once Song Chi returned, the elder tapped a few times on his specialized terminal. Instantly, a projection screen appeared right in front of Song Chi.
“An endless swarm of insects… An Ancient Broodmother who recently advanced to the ninth tier, with more than ten eighth-tier Dominator Worms and a hundred seventh-tier Dominator Worms under her command. What is this?”
Glancing over the details on the screen, Song Chi’s pupils contracted. Doubt flickered in his eyes as he turned his gaze back to the elder.
Unfazed by Song Chi’s questioning, the old master of Qin Yue Trading House replied calmly,
“This information on the Ancient Broodmother was personally verified by a Star River Clan Elder of our lineage—guaranteed to be genuine. She broke through to the ninth tier less than ten thousand years ago and most likely hasn’t had time to cultivate any ninth-tier guardian Dominator Worms.”
“Of course, that’s only part of it. The real focus is our meticulous planning. Currently, three Star River-class Captains and over thirty Star-Annihilator-class Captains are confirmed to participate, bringing with them a host of enslaved creatures, starforged mechas, and Battleship Replications—seventh-tier combat forces numbering at least fifty.”
“So there’s no reason to worry. This operation isn’t some spur-of-the-moment gamble—our two Star River Clan Elders have been preparing for thousands of years, and you aren’t the final invitee. We’ll only act once the roster exceeds fifty Star-Annihilator-class Captains. Qin Yue Trading House gives you our word: the ultimate success rate will not fall below seventy percent.”
Yet even with the elder’s measured assurance, Song Chi’s suspicion and wariness didn’t let up one bit.
“Let’s set aside other issues. Since your branch is under the Ying Clan of Tianzhu, it should be easy enough to amass Star-Annihilator-class Captains. Why go through the trouble of recruiting people in the Public Zone? Different backgrounds mean more management headaches, not to mention the risks of hidden agendas. Care to explain that?”
“Ah, so that’s what worries you?”
Seeing that this was the root of Song Chi’s concerns, the elder chuckled and offered a prompt explanation.
“There may well be a few with questionable intentions, but don’t worry. Our Clan Elder’s flagship is equipped with a multicolored, lower-tier confidentiality contract module—it’s only strengthened up to level 99, but the binding force is more than sufficient.”
“As for why we don’t turn to other branches for help, that’s actually very simple.”
As he spoke, a trace of bitterness crossed the aged Star-Annihilator Captain’s face.
“Within the clan, our voice doesn’t carry much weight. Even this trading house you see was secured by our two Elders burning through no small amount of their own energy…”
Not wishing to reveal too much, the elder kept things vague. But with Song Chi already nearing his twenty-fifth century, he could easily pick up on the implication.
To put it bluntly, although they carry the ‘Ying’ surname, their branch barely counts as elite. Out in public, they might put on airs, but in the Ying Clan itself, their influence is limited. If they tried to collaborate with other branches, there’d be no way to guarantee post-operation profits.
Perhaps sensing Song Chi’s thoughts, the elder quickly added,
“Rest assured—our only condition is the Energy Core that may or may not develop within that Ancient Broodmother. If she doesn’t have one, then any top-tier or supreme Energy Crystal refined in the seventh- or eighth-tier Dominator Worms will be up for grabs. Whoever lands the final blow gets first pick!”
After that, Song Chi’s doubts finally faded.
The so-called Energy Core was a unique, attribute-less energy entity one rank higher than Energy Crystals. Aside from rare environments, only ninth-tier Starsea Insect Swarm monsters had a chance of producing one.
From what Song Chi knew, an Energy Core could raise the success rate by 4% when evolving a Star River-class Battleship into a Superdimensional Mothership. If used for promoting a Star-Annihilator-class Ship to Star River-class status, the increase was even greater—a full 12%.
If that’s their true prize, then it made sense they didn’t want to split the loot with other Ying Clan branches.
Even so, Song Chi kept up his guard.
A multicolored confidentiality contract module really did carry weight, but after all, it was their module. What’s to stop them from nullifying the contract later?
“So how can you guarantee you won’t go back on your word, counting on that contract module of yours?”
Clearly, Song Chi wasn’t the only Captain to raise this concern. The elder—Ying Yu—immediately projected another display.
[War King Hall • Third Certification Hall • Contract Document]
Only these eleven words appeared on the screen, but all of Song Chi’s worries melted away.
He knew exactly what War King Hall represented.
As a superpower on par with Beidou Sevenstar Hall, Xian Qin Heavy Industries, the Langya Wang Clan, and the Langya Meng Clan, War King Hall was founded 140,000 years ago by the then-current champion of both the Xian Qin Star-Annihilator King Ranking and Torch Star-Annihilator Main Ranking, after they rose to Star River Captain.
Today, War King Hall boasts three known Star River Captains. That original champion? Nearly 100,000 years ago, he advanced to the peak of the Star River-class.
Recently, Song Chi’s own clan’s Shadow Division provided secret news—the founder of War King Hall had possibly upgraded his flagship to a Superdimensional Mothership. If true, he would re-emerge as a mighty Superdimensional Captain.
Even if the rumor wasn’t true, Song Chi still put his trust in War King Hall.
Eighty thousand years ago, a royal prince of the Ying Clan of Tianzhu asked War King Hall for certification. Though it’s unclear what happened, that same prince tried to unilaterally cancel the contract, but War King Hall refused to budge.
That Ying Clan Star River Prince threw a fit, causing a huge stir across the whole Torch Human Civilization. The original War King himself returned from Emperor City to stand behind the contract.
In the end, Emperor Ying personally intervened—stripping the prince of his title and sentencing him to a ten-thousand-year post in Emperor City.
After that, War King Hall’s reputation soared. Since then, not only the Xian Qin Divine Dynasty but the great powers of the other three empires have all preferred War King Hall for official certification. And they’ve lived up to their name—ten thousand years without a single exception, always fair and impartial.
“Would you allow me some time to think it over?”
Even with all doubts put to rest, Song Chi still didn’t commit lightly.
Facing a brood—the Ancient Broodmother and her swarm—meant mounting danger. If he could secure resources of similar value some other way, he’d rather take a safer path.
Fortunately, the attitude of Qin Yue Trading House stayed patient.
“Of course. We’ll keep recruiting in the coming years—at least another decade, perhaps more. Here’s the deal: if, within ten years, you decide to join the operation, just tell us through this sub-comm module. If we don’t hear from you after ten years, we’ll assume you’ve declined.”
“That works. No matter how things develop, I’ll give you a final answer within ten years!”
……
Eighth-tier Dominator Worms produce supreme Energy Crystals—something even more valuable than the top-tier variety. To say Song Chi didn’t want one would be a lie.
But for a Star-Annihilator-class Ship trying to break through to Star River-class, those crystals only increased the promotion chance by 6%—not even as much as the Chaotic Blood Heart. Was it worth the huge risk? Song Chi honestly wasn’t inclined to take the gamble.
Leaving Qin Yue Trading House, Song Chi wandered through a few more shops run by other Ying Clan branches.
Just as he expected, he came up empty.
Next, he made rounds at Beidou City, Mechanical City, and other trading hubs—but the results were no better.
Outer space, transit hub of the fifth starshard.
Traveling down the spatial wormhole passage, Song Chi returned to the Longji Kingdom—then, without pause, took another wormhole toward the Demon God Floating-Land.
Much like the Demon Serpent Floating-Land, the starry sky outside the Demon God Floating-Land was dotted with countless transit bases. Unending streams of Torch Battleships arrived here, gathering above the Floating-land.
Compared to the Demon Serpent Continent, the Song Family had a stronger presence here—not just thanks to heavier foot traffic, but because they held two plots of land in the Demon God Floating-Land’s Public Zone.
One of those was used exactly like in the Demon Serpent Continent—a Dragon-Spine Trading City, now busier than ever, cycling even more Torch Battleships than its counterpart.
But with the second plot, instead of another trading city, the Song Family went all in and built a massive super cultivation base.
No joke—this was the Demon God Floating-Land, once the ancestral land of the Eight-Armed Serpent Demon Civilization. Now, as the Four Torch Empires fed it core after core of Floating-land Origin, it was on the verge of becoming a true Star Continent. When that time came, the entire Floating-land would experience an energy tide beyond imagination.
Every year for the past three centuries, the Song Family had planted a new batch of Heavenly Stargrass in this super cultivation base. Three hundred years on, the number of Heavenly Stargrass here was staggering.
From what the Song Family projected: after the Floating-land evolved, those tenth-tier energy tides would massively accelerate the growth of all Stargrass in the base. Even the original batch—planted only three hundred years ago—would mature rapidly, and even the youngest Stargrass would soak up enough energy to see its age skyrocket.
Combined with the high standing of a Star Continent, this single cultivation base gave the family a real shot at growing Heavenly Stargrass over three thousand years old.
In the past, their resources maxed out at three-thousand-year-old superior Stargrass, which they used to brew the supreme body-forging potion.
But that wasn’t the endgame. Above even the supreme Stargrass was the Celestial Stargrass—the final form of the species. With it, you could brew true Starbody Refinement Elixir.
Unlike the supreme potion’s limited help for seventh-tier Guiding Technique breakthroughs and beyond, this elixir could greatly assist even eighth-tier cultivators seeking advancement.
Only trouble was, Celestial Stargrass could only be cultivated on ninth-level or higher Living Floating-Lands, and to date, the Song Family hadn’t had the chance to try it.
As for their homeland on Dragon-Spine Continent, it would take at least another ten thousand years to even have a shot at reaching that level. Much too far off.
“Check every plant carefully. Each one must get at least a drop of Clear Emerald Spring—that’s the key to helping them survive past five hundred years.”
“Normal Stargrass isn’t worth much. Only top-quality batches—superior Stargrass at five hundred years, exceptional at a thousand, and supreme at three thousand—are what this multi-layered cultivation base is all about. And maybe…”
On the second-to-bottom floor of the base, Song Bei—tasked with a hundred-year rotation at this facility—shouted his orders.
In response, hundreds of busy Song Family clansmen on the level echoed their acknowledgment as one.
This cultivation base sprawled over a massive area. Each floor alone was as big as a low-level Floating-land, which was why it took several hundred Song Family members to operate.
On this single second-to-last floor, ten batches of Stargrass were planted. Stacked fifty levels high, over thirty had already been filled. When the Floating-land ascended, the whole base would be packed from bottom to top.
After giving his orders, Song Bei didn’t linger. Alone, he made his way through a heavy alloy security door buried deep on this floor.
Once the alloy doors shut behind him, the scene of the lowest basement stretched out before his eyes.
A yawning abyss hundreds of kilometers wide gaped at the very center of the floor—a giant pit so deep it seemed bottomless.
A low, constant hum filled the air.
Furious energy storms roared out from the chasm below, flooding upward in wild torrents.
This was no ordinary pit—with its eruption site for the Floating-land Origin. And not just any—it was an eighth-tier peak eruption point.
When the Song Family first earned the right to choose two plots on this Floating-land, Song Chi and company had mapped this out well in advance.
To cultivate supreme Stargrass—or even Celestial Stargrass—would require unimaginable Floating-land Origin energy. What better place than right atop an eruption site?
Still, limited by their own resources, the Song Family could only secure an eighth-level eruption point.
There was nothing for it—they simply weren’t strong enough to control a higher-tier source. At present, they could only suppress an eighth-level eruption. Right now, a Starsea Giant Ape sat cross-legged above the pit, its presence calming the torrent. As soon as the eruptions touched the ape, the wild energy softened instantly.
Don’t be fooled—though the ape only stretched a few hundred meters tall, its true power was eighth tier. It simply shrank itself down.
Thanks to this creature’s presence, the wild energy pouring from the eruption site was tamed and channeled upward, nourishing the Stargrass on dozens of levels above, speeding their growth.
The first batch of Stargrass might have been planted just over three centuries ago, but their true age was almost five hundred years already—a striking reminder of the sheer benefits all that Floating-land Origin energy brings.