192: An old debt in Yunzhong City! I, Su Jin, am here to collect it!

In the southern region of the Molten Heart World, across a steel defense line spanning hundreds of thousands of kilometers, the furnace of war was fully ignited.

On a certain front line...

“Boom—!”

An orbital kinetic artillery shell, trailing a thousand-meter long fiery tail, screamed down from a nearby space orbit.

It slammed into the center of the Dark Star Empire’s giant fortress cluster, codenamed “Storm Bulwark.”

The ground heaved violently, as if an invisible giant hand had squeezed it hard.

A ring-shaped dust cloud formed by the shockwave spread wildly in all directions, blowing away tens of thousands of Imperial soldiers on the outskirts of the fortress.

Following that was an endless light...

In the distance.

Tens of thousands of Alliance-standard psionic giant cannons fired simultaneously.

The flames spewing from their muzzles dyed the dim sky a scorching white.

Dense energy beams converged into rivers of light, stretching across heaven and earth, washing over the Empire's positions.

Countless defensive runes flickered under the onslaught of the light rivers, eventually shattering like bubbles.

“Third Legion! All troops, charge!”

The Commander’s roar echoed through the battlefield channel, reaching the ears of every legionnaire.

The warriors of the Third Legion formed a sharp arrowhead formation.

Their armor, illuminated by the artillery fire, glowed with a true crimson light.

Behind them was the “Raging Sands” Legion from the western region.

The warriors rode gigantic armored sand scorpions, stirring up a sky full of yellow sand, like moving sandstorms, devouring the Empire’s defense line.

The sky was shrouded by the shadows of warships and aerial cavalry.

The ground was filled with a torrent of steel.

The entire southern front line transformed into an immensely colossal and bloody war machine.

The Blue Star Alliance's accumulated rage of several months was, at this moment, completely unleashed.

They no longer probed, no longer feigned attacks.

Every legion, every soldier, had only one goal—advance, advance, and advance again...

The Dark Star Empire forces, caught in a pincer attack, fell into unprecedented chaos.

The frontal assault was an irresistible tide, while the vital areas in the rear were thrown into disarray by the sudden appearance of Alliance elites.

Supplies were cut off, command failed, and formations were broken.

Once proud Imperial legions, under the two-pronged attack, rapidly melted away like shattered ice.

...

“Dark Star Throne,” Command Hall.

Valerius, with bloodshot eyes, stared at the star map, which was constantly being eroded by blue light points and becoming riddled with holes.

“Idiots! A bunch of idiots!”

Valerius swept the wine glass off the table.

His chest heaved violently.

“How did they do it? What are our intelligence departments doing?!”

“Let them bury over three hundred teleportation points right under our noses!”

No one dared to answer.

“General, the front line... is about to collapse!” a trembling communications officer reported.

“The Blue Star Alliance seems to have gone mad; their offensive is more ferocious than ever before.”

“Moreover, the forces they’ve committed to the front lines are at least double our previous estimate of their total strength.”

Valerius’s facial muscles twitched, and he forced himself to calm down.

“Reinforcements! Where are the reinforcements from the Imperial homeland?”

He grabbed the communications officer’s collar, his voice somewhat distorted.

“Where is the ‘Lightless Blade’ fleet? Tell them to immediately warp to Berman Plain and stabilize our rear!”

The communications officer’s face was ashen, his lips trembling, almost unable to utter a complete sentence.

He painstakingly pulled up a newly received top-priority battle damage report and handed it to Valerius.

“Gen… General… The hyperspace guidance array on Berman Plain… was attacked… in the first wave… of the assault…”

“It’s confirmed to be a direct hit by a strategic-level weapon; the entire guidance core has melted down, and that area is now a high-energy radiation death zone.”

The communications officer swallowed, his voice barely a whisper.

“Furthermore, according to the original plan, the ‘Lightless Blade’ fleet’s fastest journey would still take three more days to arrive.”

“What did you say?”

Valerius let go, staggering back two steps, as if all the strength had been drained from his body.

The guidance array on Berman Plain was a strategic-level project built by the Empire at immense cost, a lifeline connecting the southern region to the Imperial homeland.

Now, it was destroyed.

That meant the reinforcements he most relied on would be completely blocked on the other side of the stargate.

A staff officer, suppressing his inner fear, offered a last hope.

“General, immediately request aid from the Eastern, Western, and Northern Front Armies! Tell them to allocate troops at all costs; then we still have a chance…”

Valerius, like a drowning man clutching at a straw, immediately issued the order.

However, moments later, urgent communications from the other three directions completely shattered his last shred of illusion.

“This is Western Command! Our forces are under full assault by the Blue Star Alliance’s ‘Storm,’ ‘Windwalker,’ and seven other main legions! The Sand Sea Defense Line is in critical condition! We need to hold our own line first!”

“Northern Urgent Dispatch! The enemy ‘Frost Giant’ Legion has breached the third defense zone of the Icefield Bulwark! Their offensive is unprecedented! We can barely protect ourselves!”

“Eastern Report! The Blue Star Alliance’s First and Second Main Fleets have launched an all-out attack, fiercely assaulting our starport! We are tied down and cannot split our forces!”

Each message was like a heavy hammer, striking hard at Valerius and all the Imperial officers in the command hall.

It was over.

They were not fighting the Blue Star Alliance’s southern forces.

The Alliance was now in an all-out war with the entire Molten Heart World and the Dark Star Empire.

That southern Commander Lin Yuan, who seemed to be manipulated in their hands, and those southern forces, who seemed to be in a desperate situation.

Were all these merely deceptions?

Valerius couldn't understand...

The Blue Star Alliance had, right under everyone's noses, set up an astonishing killing game covering the entire Molten Heart World.

And he, Valerius, and his twenty million Southern Group Army under his command.

Would be the first pieces to be taken in this game...

Valerius slumped in his Commander's throne, his eyes somewhat vacant.

He could almost hear the desperate wails of his twenty million loyal soldiers, echoing across the vast land...

...

Howling Canyon.

The battle was mostly over.

The Infinite City’s legions were clearing the battlefield with extreme efficiency, gathering prisoners, and constructing defensive fortifications.

The air was filled with the smell of scorched earth and blood.

Su Jin stood atop a mountain peak, overlooking his army.

The phantom of the Grand Void Azurewood Palace flickered behind him.

Invisible ripples spread out from him, extending across the entire canyon and even further.

The ability of “Ling Shu Insight” was pushed to its limit.

In his perception, the law lines of the entire world became clearly visible.

He could see normal space, and space distorted by energy storms.

He could also see the tiny folds hidden beneath normal space, artificially folded and disguised.

Su Jin's will flowed like mercury, permeating every inch of land, every wisp of black mist.

He patiently sorted through countless chaotic energy messages, searching for the spatial fluctuation belonging to Sky Peak.

“Lord Su.” Shadow One appeared behind him.

“An anomalous spatial node has been discovered thirty-two kilometers northeast.”

“The node’s camouflage level is extremely high; our conventional detection methods cannot penetrate it.”

“However, the faint fluctuations it emits have a ninety-seven percent similarity with the energy signature from the ‘Cloud City’ incident record you provided.”

Su Jin’s gaze turned towards the seemingly unremarkable cliff face in the northeast.

As his perception extended, after a few breaths.

A smile, tinged with a hint of coldness, appeared.

“It seems our Mr. Sky Peak is quite fond of such quiet places.”

He stepped forward, and the Ling Shu Sword Guards quietly followed behind him.

Reaching the base of the solitary peak, Su Jin stopped, looking up at the mountain wall before him.

“Mr. Sky Peak, since our last parting in Cloud City, I hope you have been well?”

His voice penetrated into the mountain.

“After our last separation, I, Su, have missed you greatly. This time, I’ve traveled a long way and even prepared some small gifts. I hope you won’t mind.”

The mountain wall remained silent.

Su Jin was not annoyed; he extended a finger.

At its tip, a wisp of pure spiritual energy began to gather and compress.

“It seems you don’t intend to open the door. Very well, I’ll do it myself, and be self-sufficient.”

Just as he was about to forcefully break open the barrier.

The mountain wall before him rippled like water.

A deep passage leading underground slowly emerged.

A man in luxurious black robes, with a refined demeanor, stood at the entrance of the passage.

A perfectly appropriate smile graced his face, as if greeting an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time.

“Lord Su, it is my oversight to not have come out to greet you upon your esteemed arrival.”

Sky Peak’s gaze swept over Su Jin, then glanced at the Ling Shu Sword Guard legion behind him, his admiration undisguised.

“Truly an astonishing raid, a perfect plan, and flawless execution.”

“To be able to corner Commander Valerius to such an extent, Lord Su, your Blue Star Alliance has truly impressed us.”

“You flatter me.”

Su Jin returned the smile.

“Mainly, Commander Valerius was quite cooperative. As for you, I merely stopped by… to settle a score.”

“A score?” Sky Peak raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion.

“Cloud City, the time you owe me, and the interest.”

Su Jin’s smile did not fade, “I don’t have a very good memory, but holding grudges is one of my strengths.”