1168: Chapter 1168 Mingluo's Self-Destruction

"Marshal Hei Yan! Have you lost your mind?!"

King Fenyang was both shocked and enraged; he hadn't expected Marshal Hei Yan to be so decisive and ruthless, willing to risk his life over a single disagreement!

Ling Miao's expression also changed slightly; the Hundred Flowers Star Domain advocated nature and balance and was unwilling to engage in such a destructive war of attrition.

"Mad?" Marshal Hei Yan's silhouette, illuminated by the bridge's lights, looked like a demon god. "This marshal is merely telling you that for things the Empire sets its sights on, the word 'sharing' has never existed!

Either get lost, or... die!"

His Aura and resolve, coupled with the Star Splitter Fleet's energy readings suddenly surging to their limit and the sinister rotation of their gun ports, actually managed to intimidate Fairy Lingmiao and King Fenyang, two experts of the same rank, for a brief moment!

While they didn't fear Marshal Hei Yan himself, facing the Empire's most elite fleet led personally by a marshal in a suicidal stance, plus the rumored terrifying "Dark Star Annihilation Cannon"...

Even if they won, the losses would be heavy, and it might even result in mutual destruction, allowing other watching factions to benefit.

For a time, within the Void Realm, three vast pressures and wills collided and strangled each other fiercely; the energy of the massive fleets surged like a tide, yet they fell into a strange stalemate.

Marshal Hei Yan was gambling—gambling that the other side wouldn't dare to truly fight to the death.

Fairy Lingmiao and King Fenyang were weighing their options: whether to back down now and watch the Black Cloud Empire potentially monopolize Blue Star, or to pay any price to bite into this tough bone, get a piece of the pie, and strike at the Black Cloud Empire's arrogance.

Marshal Hei Yan's life-risking deterrence failed to immediately force Hundred Flowers and Red Sun to retreat under the cold logic of the star sea and complex interest trade-offs.

Although Fairy Lingmiao and King Fenyang were wary of the "Dark Star Annihilation Cannon" and the Star Splitter Fleet's resolve to fight to the death, it was also impossible for them to give up their coveting of Blue Star—a life-bearing planet with immense potential.

Furthermore, if they truly yielded like this, it would be a massive blow to the prestige of their two Star Domains.

After a brief stalemate, an even more intense and subtle game unfolded in the Void Realm.

The fleets of both sides were no longer limited to small-scale skirmishes, beginning larger-scale, more threatening maneuvers and energy confrontations.

Invisible communication bands were exchanged at high frequency among the three major factions, mixed with threats, inducements, probing, and intelligence gathering.

Marshal Hei Yan was under immense pressure; he had to maintain this dangerous balance until definite news came from Blue Star, or else once the other side saw through his bluff and launched a joint attack, the consequences would be unimaginable.

However, the thing Marshal Hei Yan feared most seemed to be happening in another form.

Just as the star sea confrontation fell into a subtle struggle, on the battlefield at the edge of Blue Star's atmosphere, the scales of victory finally tipped completely under the drenching of blood and fire!

"Roar—!!!"

Zhou Rong's roar was like that of a wounded ancient Vicious Beast; his majestic body, which had fused with the power of Zhu Jianhua's flesh-and-blood Clone, was covered in deep fist prints and searing blood scars left by Ming Luo's berserk attacks.

In some places, the wounds were deep enough to show bone, dark red blood constantly gushing out, only to be forcibly sealed and repaired by his extremely vigorous blood-qi power.

But his eyes were like two eternal blood-colored furnaces, deathly locked onto Ming Luo, whose Aura was also beginning to falter and whose berserk state was gradually fading!

Ming Luo's condition was even worse. The "Descent of the Mad God" secret technique, which burned life Origin, couldn't last long to begin with; after hundreds of rounds of head-on clashes with a blood-qi monster like Zhou Rong, he was nearly at the end of his rope.

The "Mad God Blood Armor" on his body had long since shattered, revealing the riddled body beneath, scorched black by Zhou Rong's strangely corrosive blood-qi power.

Although his eyes were still crazed, an unhideable exhaustion and... a hint of fear showed in their depths.

This monster that had suddenly appeared—his brute strength, vigorous blood-qi, and terrifying recovery were simply unheard of!

Even more terrifyingly, the other's blood-qi seemed to have a certain restraining and absorbing effect on his own blood-burning secret technique; with every collision, he felt he was losing not just power, but a portion of his life Origin!

"Pfft!"

After another plain heavy-fist clash, Ming Luo finally couldn't hold on, spitting out a large mouthful of dark red blood and flying backward, his Aura instantly becoming extremely withered.

Zhou Rong's body also shook violently, his chest caving in from Ming Luo's dying punch, but he only let out a muffled groan, his body's blood-qi surging again like a volcanic eruption, and his collapsed chest puffed up and restored at a visible speed!

He stepped forward, his massive blood-colored palm opening, carrying an unparalleled Aura as it clawed toward the head of the struggling Ming Luo!

He intended to crush it raw!

At this life-or-death moment, the last trace of madness and brutality in Ming Luo's eyes turned into complete despair and malice.

He suddenly looked into the distance, where Nie Ku was already in dire straits under the joint strangulation of Dragon Xuanyuan and the Emperor Armor; the Gate of Yellow Springs was mostly shattered, with only a core speck of ghostly light lingering on.

"Marshal... Empire..."

A strange rattling sound came from Ming Luo's throat, and then, he made his final and most insane decision!

He didn't try to dodge Zhou Rong's fatal blow; instead, he gave up all defense, compressing and igniting all his remaining power—even overdrawing his Soul Origin—along with the soon-to-dissipate berserk blood-qi!

"Long live... the Empire!!!!"

An extremely hoarse roar echoed through the heavens!

In the next moment, Ming Luo's body suddenly expanded like a balloon blown to its limit!

Blinding destructive light, mixed with dark red blood and crimson blood-qi, burst out from every pore and every crack in his body!

"Not good! He's going to self-detonate! Stop him! He wants to break through the planetary will's blockade to transmit information!"

Dragon Xuanyuan instantly saw through Ming Luo's intention and shouted sharply!

The self-detonation of a Rank Five Middle Stage expert was powerful enough to heavily injure or even kill those of the same rank; even more terrifying was that the suddenly erupting, uncontrollable torrent of destructive energy was highly likely to briefly interfere with or even break through the external blockade field formed by the human emperor seal in coordination with Blue Star's will!

Once this turbulent energy flow, carrying Ming Luo's final thoughts and battlefield information, leaked out and was sensed by Marshal Hei Yan in the star sea confrontation, the consequences would be unimaginable!

Zhou Rong's expression also changed; the palm he was using to grab Ming Luo's head turned into a slap, his majestic blood-qi power transforming into an incredibly heavy blood-colored giant shield in front of him as he rapidly retreated!

The Emperor Armor reacted the fastest; almost the instant Ming Luo's Aura began to expand abnormally, it gave up attacking Nie Ku. Its light wings vibrated wildly as it instantly shifted to Dragon Xuanyuan's side, the Bagua diagram on its belt flashing rapidly as "Heaven and Earth Qi Field: Defend" expanded to its maximum, attempting to form a second barrier!

However, it was still half a step too late.

Or rather, the speed and power of a Rank Five Middle Stage expert's explosion, at the cost of total self-annihilation, exceeded everyone's expectations.