1169: Chapter 1169 Pyrrhic Victory

“Boom—!!!!”

It wasn't a loud bang, but a dull roar that felt as if the Universe were beginning and all things were returning to the void!

The location where Ming Luo had been transformed into a dark red sphere of light over a kilometer in diameter, composed purely of destructive energy!

The sphere of light expanded rapidly; wherever it passed, space shattered inch by inch like glass, revealing the violent void turbulence behind it!

The terrifying energy shockwave was like a world-ending tsunami, sweeping madly in all directions!

Zhou Rong, who bore the brunt of the impact, was blown back hundreds of Miles despite having a shield of blood qi protecting him. His internal blood qi was in chaos, and he spat out a large mouthful of blood. His incredibly powerful body was covered in fine cracks, clearly having suffered significant internal injuries.

The Heaven and Earth Qi Field of the Emperor Armor was instantly torn apart. The armor's surface grew dim as it was washed over by the energy turbulence, and damage appeared in several places. Su Wuming let out a muffled groan, his aura becoming unstable.

Dragon Xuanyuan had the human emperor seal protecting him and had defended himself in time, so his injuries were the lightest. However, he was still shaken to the point that his blood qi churned, and his protective divine light fluctuated violently.

Most critically, at the core of the explosion, that destructive tide of energy briefly tore through the lockdown field maintained jointly by Blue Star's will and the human emperor seal!

An extremely faint fluctuation of spiritual intent—containing Ming Luo's unwillingness, malice, and some blurred images of the battlefield before his death—shot toward deep space like a fish slipping through a net, mixed within the violent energy turbulence!

Although this information would inevitably become extremely weak and fragmented after passing through the remnants of the lockdown and the vast void, for Marshal Hei Yan, who had been waiting anxiously and possessed special receiving methods, even a single ominous premonition would be enough for him to make a judgment!

“Damn it!”

Dragon Xuanyuan's face turned ashen as he watched the direction the information had fled, but he was already powerless to intercept it.

Taking advantage of the chaos caused by the self-destruction and the momentary loosening of the lockdown field, Nie Ku let out a shrill shriek. Ignoring his own heavy injuries, he forcibly detonated the remaining core of the Gate of Yellow Springs!

“Netherworld Eternal Silence!”

An even denser explosion of sinking Death Qi erupted, temporarily blocking the pursuit of Dragon Xuanyuan and the Emperor Armor. Meanwhile, Nie Ku transformed into a dim ghostly light, sacrificed most of his Origin, and fled desperately toward the depths of the Universe in the direction of Marshal Hei Yan's fleet at a speed that nearly burned his Divine Soul!

He knew that Ming Luo's self-destruction and the information leak might buy the Marshal some reaction time. He had to survive to deliver the news!

Even if only a remnant soul remained!

“Chase him!”

Dragon Xuanyuan did not hesitate, intending to pursue with the Emperor Armor.

Releasing a tiger back to the mountain would bring endless trouble!

“Cough, cough... No need.”

Zhou Rong flew back while clutching his chest and coughing up blood. He looked in the direction Nie Ku had fled, his eyes flashing with blood-red light.

“His Origin is too heavily damaged and his Divine Soul is burning. Even if he manages to escape back, he'll be mostly crippled and won't be a concern for a short time.

The priority now is to clean up the remaining small fry and stabilize the situation on Blue Star.”

His judgment was very calm. Nie Ku's escape direction was clearly toward Marshal Hei Yan's main force. Pursuing now would likely mean running straight into the Black Cloud Empire's reinforcements or Marshal Hei Yan himself; the risk was too great.

Dragon Xuanyuan took a deep breath, suppressing the killing intent and worry in his heart.

Zhou Rong was right. When a Fifth-Stage Middle Stage powerhouse fled for their life, they couldn't catch up in a short time.

Furthermore, Nie Ku was no longer a threat, and Ming Luo was dead. The most urgent task was to completely deal with the invaders on Blue Star.

The three men's gazes simultaneously turned toward the battlefield below.

Without Ming Luo's containment, Zhou Rong was injured but his combat power remained. Without Nie Ku's support, the already precarious 'Seven Blades' were in an even worse position.

Under the empowerment of Dragon Xuanyuan's stellar power, the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams field control of the Emperor Armor, and the intimidation of Zhou Rong's violent blood qi, the 'Seven Blades'—who were already fighting individually due to their combined attack being broken and were heavily injured—completely lost their ability to resist.

Flashing blades and swords, waves of blood qi, and energy impacts.

There wasn't much suspense left.

In just a hundred rounds, the seven Black Cloud Empire Fifth-Stage Early Stage elites who had once made Blue Star's powerhouses pay a heavy price—the 'Seven Blades'—fell one by one under the joint slaughter of Dragon Xuanyuan, Su Wuming (Emperor Armor), and Zhou Rong!

Blood spilled across the sky, and their Divine Souls were annihilated!

Meanwhile, in the sky, the hundred once-majestic 'star-ripping assault ships' were already a different scene of Hell.

Led by Duanmu Yan, a Fifth-Stage Early Stage killing machine, the five armors of Su Yao, Su Fen, Su Yan, Su Sen, and Su Miao coordinated perfectly, pushing the tactics of guerrilla warfare, surprise attacks, and sabotage to the limit.

They specifically targeted the warships' weak shield points, engines, weapon arrays, and command centers.

The Shura Armor's purple-black lightning possessed terrifying armor-piercing and annihilation effects. the Blazing Dragon's flames specialized in energy explosions, the Earth Tiger's heavy impacts could shake a ship's balance, the Wind Eagle's speed and wind blades cut through circuits, while the Black Rhino and Snow Mastiff were responsible for drawing fire and forcibly breaking through points.

Having lost the command of Nie Ku and Ming Luo, and with some of the shipborne experts pinned down by the defeat of the 'Seven Blades' and the counterattack of the human powerhouses.

Although these hundred warships had powerful firepower, in front of six armors that were fast, small targets with flexible tactics, they were like clumsy giants being torn apart by a pack of wolves.

One warship after another crashed toward the earth amidst desperate alarms and the flames of explosions.

When Dragon Xuanyuan's trio finished off the 'Seven Blades' and turned their gaze back to the sky, they saw the final star-ripping assault ship attempting to flee being split down the middle by Duanmu Yan's 'Shura Purgatory Halberd,' completely losing power.

Beneath the smoke-filled firmament, a hundred ships had fallen, and the powerful enemies were all slain.

The invasion fleet and high-end combat forces at the edge of Blue Star's atmosphere were completely wiped out.

Sunlight struggled to penetrate the thick energy dust and bloody clouds, spilling onto the devastated yet still standing earth below, and onto those scarred yet determined human powerhouses.

They had won.

An extremely tragic battle with a heavy price, but a home defense war that was ultimately won.

Dragon Xuanyuan stood with his sword sheathed, the light of the human emperor seal receding, but his brow did not unfurl.

He looked toward the direction Nie Ku had fled, toward the depths of the starry sky. That invisible, even greater pressure had not dissipated with the destruction of the enemies before him; instead... it felt even closer.

“Clean up the battlefield. Treat the wounded.”

The afterglow of victory failed to dispel the heavy haze hanging over Blue Star.

In the high altitude, energy turbulence still raged, and the lingering scent of blood mixed with the smell of gunpowder, pungent and foul.

The earth below was devastated; mountains and rivers were broken or diverted, and the edges of once-prosperous cities bore shocking battle scars.

After a brief silence, the powerhouses of the Human Alliance—whether the injured Constantine and Miles, or the weakened Sword Lord and Blade Lord—all forced themselves to begin executing orders.

Treating the seriously injured, collecting the remains of fallen comrades, comforting the frightened populace, and repairing damaged defense facilities... everything proceeded in a heavy yet orderly manner.