87: Chapter 87 A Surprise Attack, the Overlord's Body Displays its Power

In the center of the Meteorite Plain, the pillar of starlight that shot into the sky grew brighter, like a bridge connecting heaven and earth.

The diameter of the light pillar expanded from its initial ten feet to thirty feet, its surface flowing with liquid starlight, and the pressure it emitted made the air across the entire battlefield thick and viscous.

Inside the light pillar, the phantom of an ancient stone platform was vaguely visible.

The stone platform was octagonal, with different star runes carved into each corner; these runes were now being activated one by one, emitting brilliant starlight.

[star guiding altar (damaged) activation progress: 78%]

[current effect: within the range of the Meteorite Plain, the concentration of star power is increased by 300%]

[star-attribute Cultivation Technique/skill power increased: 25%]

[non-star-attribute Cultivation Technique/skill power weakened: 18%]

[special effect: starlight suppression (enemy all attributes -15%, movement speed -20%)]

In the center of the Misty Rain Tower's position, Linglong stood on a temporarily constructed dharma altar, holding a jade plate in her hands.

Light and shadow flowed on the surface of the jade plate, displaying the activation progress of the star guiding altar.

Beside her stood Qian Duoduo and a dozen Formation Masters, all of them putting their full effort into maintaining the operation of the Formation.

"Almost there, only twenty percent progress left!" Qian Duoduo said excitedly. "Once the star guiding altar is fully activated, the starlight suppression effect will double! Those people from the Heavenly Court will be suppressed to the point where they can't even breathe!"

Linglong, however, frowned slightly: "The Heavenly Court's reaction is too calm. They clearly know the importance of the star guiding altar, so why aren't they fighting desperately to stop it?"

She looked around the battlefield.

On the east side, the Imperial Dynasty's Golden Dragon Battle Formation had already been cut through by Lin Ye alone; of the six hundred men, fewer than four hundred remained, and their morale had completely collapsed.

Although the Emperor was still barely managing the command, it was clear that the situation was beyond saving.

On the south side, the All Under Heaven Society's offensive was thwarted under the suppression of Su Qingyue's Moon Palace Projection.

Sword Thirteen had tried to break through several times, but was beaten back by the five-element Spells of the Vermilion Bird Legion and the flanking cover of the Azure Dragon Legion.

On the west side, the Misty Rain Tower's own position was stable, but their advance was slow.

The Heavenly Court's Black Tortoise Legion, led by Iron Wall, had constructed a solid defense line relying on the terrain at the edge of the Meteorite Plain, making it difficult to break through in the short term.

The entire battle situation had unexpectedly reached a strange state of stalemate.

"Something is wrong..." Linglong muttered to herself. "Night Emperor is not the type to sit and wait for death. He must still have an ace up his sleeve."

As soon as she finished speaking, a sudden change occurred.

On the north side, in that rugged mountainous area that everyone thought was impassable, a heaven-shaking roar suddenly erupted.

That roar was like a dragon and a tiger, or like the angry howl of a primordial giant beast waking up, causing rocks to tumble and the earth to shake.

Following that, figures leaped down from the cliff.

It wasn't a few dozen people, nor the fifty people originally led by Shi Potian.

It was three hundred people!

Three hundred burly men wearing simple leather armor and wielding various heavy weapons charged into the battlefield like tigers descending from the mountain.

Their movements were wild and crude; they didn't care about Formations or coordination—it was just the simplest, most direct charge.

Yet, the momentum of that charge was even more terrifying than the group charge of the Imperial Dynasty's six hundred heavy armored soldiers!

The leader was none other than Shi Potian.

At this moment, Shi Potian was like a different person compared to when he sparred with Lin Ye three days ago.

His original bronze skin had completely turned dark red, as if soaked in magma.

On his bare upper body, muscles were cast like steel, each one bulging to an exaggerated degree.

His dark golden right eye had completely turned vermilion-gold, and deep within his pupil, it seemed as if magma was churning and boiling.

Most shockingly, the giant black axe on his back was gone, replaced by a pair of ferocious arm guards covering both arms.

The arm guards were entirely dark red, the surface covered in sharp bone spurs, with a foot-long barb at each elbow.

The gauntlet parts were even more terrifying, with sharp bone blades protruding from the knuckles of the five fingers; a single punch could tear through steel.

[Hegemon Bloodline Awakening: Second Stage (Temporary)]

[effect: strength attribute +100%, defense +80%, attacks carry "tear" effect (ignores 30% defense)]

[special status: Hegemon Blood Burning (consumes 1% of maximum Qi and Blood per second, all attributes +50% extra)]

[duration: unknown (depends on the degree of blood burning)]

"Hegemon Bloodline... it's a Hegemon Bloodline awakener!" In the Ranks of the All Under Heaven Society, Sword Thirteen's pupils constricted sharply. "How could the Heavenly Court have such a person?!"

In the Imperial Dynasty position, the Emperor's face turned pale: "Impossible... hasn't the Hegemon Bloodline been lost for ages?!"

In the Misty Rain Tower position, the jade plate in Linglong's hand almost slipped from her grasp: "Three hundred Hegemon Bloodline death warriors... so this was the Night Emperor's trump card all along!"

Shi Potian paid no attention to the shock of the various factions.

He led the three hundred Hegemon Bloodline death warriors like a red-hot knife, stabbing directly into the weakest link of the battlefield—the command center and logistics nodes of the three major guilds!

"Target one: Imperial Dynasty command platform!" Shi Potian's vermilion-gold right eye swept across the battlefield, instantly locking onto the location of the Emperor. "Kill!"

Three hundred people roared in unison, their voices shaking the wilderness.

They didn't care about the enemies along the way; they just charged in a straight line.

Imperial Dynasty soldiers who tried to block them were directly knocked flying, trampled, or torn apart.

The power of Hegemon Bloodline awakeners was already terrifying, and under the state of Hegemon Blood Burning, it was doubled.

These Imperial Dynasty soldiers, who averaged only level 42-43, were like paper in front of them.

In just ten breaths, Shi Potian had charged to the front of the Imperial Dynasty command platform.

The command platform was a temporarily constructed wooden platform three zhang high, on which stood the Emperor, Golden Halberd (severely injured in the right shoulder), and a dozen high-level members of the Imperial Dynasty.

"Stop them!" the Emperor roared.

Around the platform, fifty of the Imperial Dynasty's most elite personal guards rushed out.

These guards were all level 46 or higher, well-equipped, and were the true trump cards of the Imperial Dynasty.

They formed a battle Formation, shields like walls, spears like a forest, attempting to block Shi Potian's charge.

Shi Potian grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, which looked particularly ferocious on his dark red face.

"Get lost!"

He didn't dodge or evade, but crashed directly into the shield wall.

Boom—!

The defensive line composed of fifty refined iron tower shields was hit by Shi Potian like it had been struck by a siege ram.

The dozen shield warriors in the front row were sent flying along with their shields, the shields deformed, and their arms broken.

The defensive line was broken!

Shi Potian didn't stop his pace and stepped onto the stairs of the command platform.

"Protect the Guild Leader!" Golden Halberd, ignoring his severely injured right shoulder, held a spare shield in his left hand and blocked in front of the Emperor.

Three other Imperial Dynasty high-level members also held their weapons and surrounded him.

Four Dao Palace Peak experts besieging one person.

But Shi Potian only had disdain in his eyes.

"Hegemon Fist—Mountain Cracker!"

He threw his right fist, and the gauntlet-covered fist pulled a dark red trajectory through the air.

Where the fist wind passed, the air was squeezed into visible ripples.

Golden Halberd raised his shield to block.

Clang—!

Amidst the ear-piercing sound of metal clashing, the refined iron shield was pierced through like paper.

The fist's momentum remained undiminished, slamming into Golden Halberd's chest.

Pfft!

Golden Halberd's chest instantly collapsed, and he was sent flying like a broken sack, breaking two wooden pillars and falling off the command platform, his life or death unknown.

One punch, severely injuring a level 49 shield warrior!

The other three high-level members' faces changed drastically, but they had no choice but to attack.

One person held a sword and stabbed directly at Shi Potian's throat; one person swung a blade at Shi Potian's waist; one released a Spell, and a fireball came whistling over.

Shi Potian did not dodge or evade.

The sword stabbed at his throat, producing the sound of metal clashing, leaving only a white mark.

The blade slashed at his waist and was deflected by his dark red skin, not even breaking the skin.

The fireball exploded on his body, unleashing flames across the sky, but it didn't burn a single hair on him.

"Too weak."

Shi Potian swept his left fist across.

The swordsman was cut in half at the waist, his upper body flying away.

He smashed down with his right fist.

The blade wielder's head exploded like a watermelon.

Finally, he looked at the mage who had released the fireball, and his vermilion-gold right eye glared.

The mage was struck as if by lightning, bleeding from his seven orifices, and collapsed softly to the ground.

Mental suppression!

Three breaths, killing three Dao Palace Peak experts.

On the command platform, only the Emperor remained.

"You... don't come over!" The Emperor's hand gripping the Painted Halberd was trembling. "I... I can surrender! The Imperial Dynasty will withdraw from Yan State! All our assets are yours!"

Shi Potian shook his head: "Tell that to the Night Emperor."

He stepped forward and punched the Emperor.

The Emperor gritted his teeth, thrusting the Painted Halberd with all his might, the golden dragon-shaped Qi energy coiled around the tip of the halberd more solid than ever before.

This was his trump card—"Golden Dragon Heaven Breaking Halberd"!

The halberd and the fist collided.

There was no loud noise.

Only a crisp "crack" sound.

The Painted Halberd, starting from the tip, shattered inch by inch.

The Emperor's arm twisted and deformed under the immense force, and his entire body flew off the command platform like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the ground, spewing blood.

[System prompt: Player "Imperial Dynasty · Emperor" severely injured and exited the battlefield (near-death protection triggered).]

[Imperial Dynasty morale: -30 (collapsed)]

[Imperial Dynasty participating members began to flee on a large scale.]

Shi Potian didn't even look at the Emperor who had fallen off.

He turned around and looked at the command platform under his feet.

This wooden platform was three zhang high and five zhang wide, the command center of the Imperial Dynasty's battlefield and a symbol of their morale.

"Destroy it."

Shi Potian clenched his fists, and the bone spurs on the surface of the dark red arm guards stood up one by one.

He took a deep breath, his muscles further expanding, and dense ancient runes appeared on the surface of his dark red skin—that was the inheritance mark of the Hegemon Bloodline.

"Hegemon Blood Ultimate—Mountain Collapse!"

Both fists smashed down simultaneously.

Rumble—!

The entire command platform began to disintegrate from the middle under the impact of the terrifying force.

Thick wooden pillars snapped, heavy wooden boards shattered, and the various Materials used to build the platform turned into debris filling the sky.

The three-zhang-high command platform completely collapsed under Shi Potian's punch.

Dust shot into the sky, obscuring half the sky.

When the dust settled, only a deep pit ten zhang in diameter remained, with wood chips and tattered flags scattered at the bottom.

The Imperial Dynasty's command center was smashed to pieces by one punch.

At the same time, explosions sounded one after another across the battlefield.

"Target two: All Under Heaven Society supply point—explode!"

Shadow Blade's cold voice sounded in the transmission Jade Slip.

The White Tiger Legion, which had been lurking for a long time, finally made its move.

They had been hiding in the shadows all along, not participating in the frontal battle, waiting for this very moment.

When everyone's attention was drawn by Shi Potian, one hundred and twenty-five White Tiger elites appeared like ghosts, raiding the logistics nodes of the three major guilds.

The three supply points set up by the All Under Heaven Society in the southern hilly area exploded one after another within thirty breaths.

The stored Medicinal Pills, Talismans, and spare equipment turned to ash in the explosions.

Even more fatal was that one of the supply points stored a large number of "Formation Flags" and "Spirit Stones," which were the keys to maintaining the operation of the All Under Heaven Society's sword Formation.

With the supplies destroyed, the power of the All Under Heaven Society's sword Formation dropped by thirty percent.

"Target three: Misty Rain Tower Formation node—break!"

Shadow Blade gave the order again.

The second echelon of the White Tiger Legion raided the western stone forest area.

The Misty Rain Tower's Formation Masters were putting their full effort into maintaining the activation of the star guiding altar and hadn't expected enemies to attack from the rear.

Fifty White Tiger assassins entered like they were in an empty land, hands moving with blades falling, and in the blink of an eye, they slaughtered more than twenty Formation Masters.

The Formation node was destroyed, and the activation progress of the star guiding altar plummeted from 78% to 65%, and the light of the starlight pillar dimmed quite a bit.

"Damn it!" Linglong said, her face turning pale with anger. "Quick! Repair the node! We must not let them interrupt the activation!"

But it was already too late.

After Shi Potian smashed the Imperial Dynasty's command platform, he didn't stop at all.

His vermilion-gold right eye swept across the battlefield, instantly locking onto the next target—the Guild Leader of the All Under Heaven Society, Sword Thirteen!

"Hegemon Bloodline against a Sword Cultivator... interesting."

Shi Potian grinned, his figure shooting out like a cannonball, rushing straight to the southern hilly area.

Along the way, members of the All Under Heaven Society who tried to block him were knocked flying like grass.

In the state of Hegemon Blood Burning, Shi Potian's strength and speed had reached an unbelievable level.

Sword Thirteen was commanding the All Under Heaven Society to reorganize their Formation when he suddenly felt a terrifying killing intent lock onto him.

He looked up abruptly and saw a dark red figure smashing over like a meteor.

"Sword Control—Thousand Lights!" Sword Thirteen reacted extremely quickly, instantly unleashing his Flying Sword, which turned into thousands of sword lights to protect him.

This was the All Under Heaven Society's ultimate technique, "Thousand Lights Sword Formation," which combined offense and defense and had once helped him kill a Four Extremities Realm Yao Beast.

But Shi Potian didn't even look at those sword lights.

He crashed directly into them.

Ding-ding-dang-dang—!

Thousands of sword lights slashed at Shi Potian, producing dense sounds of metal clashing, but they could only leave shallow white marks on his dark red skin, not even shedding a drop of blood.

The defense of the Hegemon Bloodline Second Stage was terrifying!

"How is this possible?!" Sword Thirteen was horrified.

Shi Potian had already broken through the sword Formation and punched at Sword Thirteen's face.

Before the fist arrived, the fist wind had already made it difficult for Sword Thirteen to breathe.

At the critical moment of life and death, Sword Thirteen displayed the qualities of a top expert.

He stepped on his Flying Sword, retreated rapidly, and simultaneously bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of essence blood.

The essence blood merged into the Flying Sword, and the sword body instantly turned blood-red.

"Blood Sword—God Slayer!"

The blood-red Flying Sword turned into a streak of blood light and slashed at Shi Potian.

This sword strike burned thirty percent of Sword Thirteen's essence blood, and its power was enough to kill an ordinary Four Extremities First Layer Cultivator.

But Shi Potian just raised his left arm.

The arm guard collided with the blood sword.

Clang—!

The blood sword slashed onto the arm guard, erupting with an ear-piercing sound of metal clashing, but it only left a one-inch-deep slash on the surface of the arm guard and failed to cut through.

And Shi Potian's right fist had already slammed into Sword Thirteen's chest.

Sword Thirteen couldn't dodge in time and could only fully operate his protective Sword Qi.

Bang!

The protective Sword Qi shattered like paper, and Shi Potian's fist was printed solidly on Sword Thirteen's chest.

Crack—!

The sound of broken ribs was clearly audible.

Sword Thirteen spat blood and flew backward, crashing through three giant rocks behind him before barely stopping.

He struggled to get up, only to find that at least ten of his bones were broken throughout his body, his internal organs were severely damaged, and he had lost his ability to fight.

[System prompt: Player "All Under Heaven · Dugu" severely injured and exited the battlefield (near-death protection triggered).]

[All Under Heaven Society morale: -25 (routed)]

[All Under Heaven Society participating members began to retreat.]

Two major guild leaders, one severely injured and one near death.

Two major guilds, morale collapsed.

On the battlefield, the situation reversed instantly.

The remaining three hundred members of the Imperial Dynasty began to flee in all directions, completely disregarding military orders.

The five hundred elites of the All Under Heaven Society also lost their Battle Intent, retreating steadily under the harassment of the White Tiger Legion.

Only the Misty Rain Tower, being further away, suffered minimal losses.

However, the activation progress of the star guiding altar was interrupted, and the Formation nodes were destroyed; their greatest reliance was now half-crippled.

"Retreat! Everyone retreat!" Linglong made an immediate decision and issued the order to withdraw.

The Misty Rain Tower had intended to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight from the beginning; now that they saw the Imperial Dynasty and the All Under Heaven Society collapsing, they naturally would not stay to fight head-on.

The four hundred members of the Misty Rain Tower began to withdraw in an orderly fashion, simultaneously activating pre-arranged defensive Formations to block the Heavenly Court's pursuit.

On the battlefield, only the five hundred elites of the Heavenly Court and the three hundred Hegemon Body death soldiers led by Shi Potian remained.

The dust gradually settled.

Lin Ye stepped over the corpses covering the ground and walked toward Shi Potian.

The dark red on Shi Potian's body was slowly fading, and his crimson-gold right eye returned to normal.

With the Hegemon Blood burning state deactivated, his aura was noticeably weaker, but his eyes remained as sharp as knives.

"Mission accomplished." Shi Potian grinned, revealing blood-stained teeth. "The control of the star guiding altar is yours now."

Lin Ye nodded and looked toward the center of the Meteorite Crater.

The pillar of starlight there had dimmed to the point of being almost invisible, and the projection of the star guiding altar was blurry.

Although the Misty Rain Tower had taken away some Formation Materials when they retreated, the base remained; as long as it was repaired slightly, it could be reactivated.

More importantly, the Heavenly Court had won this battle.

Five hundred against one thousand five hundred—a three-fold difference in troop numbers—in a field battle on the plains, and they won.

And it was a complete victory.

The Imperial Dynasty's guild leader was on the verge of death, the All Under Heaven Society's guild leader was severely injured, and the participating members of both major guilds had lost over sixty percent of their forces.

Although the Misty Rain Tower had retreated in time, they had still lost at least thirty percent of their combat power.

In contrast, although all five hundred elites of the Heavenly Court were injured, fewer than fifty had truly "fallen" (withdrawn from the battlefield).

This was a result achieved while facing a siege by three times their troop numbers.

It could be called a miracle.

"Clean up the battlefield and treat the wounded," Lin Ye ordered. "In addition, send people to take over the Meteorite Crater and repair the base of the star guiding altar."

"Yes!" the four major legion commanders responded in unison.

The members of the Heavenly Court began to act in an orderly manner.

Some treated the wounded, some cleaned up the battlefield (collecting loot), and some kept watch on the surroundings to prevent the three major guilds from launching a counterattack.

Lin Ye walked with Shi Potian to a relatively clean boulder and sat down.

"Brother Shi, this time it's all thanks to you," Lin Ye said sincerely. "Without the surprise attack from your three hundred death soldiers, this battle would not have been so smooth."

Shi Potian waved his hand. "Taking money to resolve disasters for others. I will naturally do what I promised."

He paused and looked at Lin Ye. "However, I have a question."

"Please speak."

"The strength displayed by the Heavenly Court in this battle is already enough to dominate the Yan State. What do you plan to do next?" Shi Potian asked. "Annex the industries of the three major guilds? Unify the Yan State?"

Lin Ye shook his head. "Annexing the industries is inevitable; the blood pact stipulates that the loser must withdraw from the Yan State, and all industries belong to the victor. But unifying the Yan State... there's no need."

"Oh?"

"The Heavenly Court's goal has never been to settle in one corner," Lin Ye looked into the distance. "The Yan State is just the starting point, and the Eastern Wasteland is just a stepping stone. The true stage is on the Ancient Star Road, in the Big Dipper Star Field, and even... in even more distant places."

A glint flashed in Shi Potian's eyes. "Quite an ambition."

"Without ambition, why step into this era?" Lin Ye asked in return. "Brother Shi, what about you? What are your plans for the future?"

Shi Potian was silent for a moment, then said, "My brothers and I are all wanderers. We are used to freedom and cannot stand being constrained. After this battle ends, we might leave the Yan State to venture elsewhere."

"But before that—" he looked at Lin Ye, "I want to ask you for something."

"What?"

"The complete Legacy of the 'Hegemon Body Cultivation Technique'." Shi Potian said seriously, "I know the Heavenly Court's Scripture Pavilion must have relevant records. Although my Hegemon Body Bloodline has awakened, I only have the basic chapters and lack the subsequent cultivation methods and advanced secret techniques."

Lin Ye did not answer immediately.

The "Hegemon Body Cultivation Technique" was an Earth Rank Cultivation Technique; although not as precious as a Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique, it was still a rare Legacy.

More importantly, a complete Hegemon Body Legacy might involve some ancient secrets, making its value immeasurable.

But Shi Potian had rendered great service in this battle. Without him, the Heavenly Court could not have won so easily.

"Very well." Lin Ye finally nodded. "However, I have a condition."

"Speak."

"Join the Heavenly Court." Lin Ye looked at Shi Potian. "Not as mercenaries, but as true members. You and your three hundred brothers can retain a certain degree of autonomy, but you must accept the Heavenly Court's deployment."

Shi Potian frowned. "I said before, we cannot stand being constrained."

"It's not constraint, it's cooperation." Lin Ye said. "The Heavenly Court needs combat power like yours, and you also need the Heavenly Court's resources and support. The complete 'Hegemon Body Cultivation Technique' is just the beginning; there will be more legacies and more opportunities in the future. Fighting alone, how far can you go?"

He paused and continued, "Besides, don't you want to know the true mysteries of the Hegemon Body Bloodline? Don't you want to know what heights those great beings who attained Dao through the Hegemon Body in the ancient era ultimately reached?"

Shi Potian was silent.

Of course he did.

After his Hegemon Body Bloodline awakened, he could feel the immense power hidden within his body, but for lack of a systematic cultivation method, he could only explore it on his own.

If he could obtain the complete Legacy, his strength could increase by at least thirty percent.

More importantly, Lin Ye was right. Fighting alone, in this increasingly dangerous world, how far could one go?

Just look at the three major guilds. The Imperial Dynasty, the All Under Heaven Society, the Misty Rain Tower—which of them didn't have strength in numbers? Yet today, they were still defeated by the Heavenly Court despite the disparity in numbers.

Individual strength is ultimately limited; collective strength is the true power.

After a long while, Shi Potian looked up. "I can join, but I have three requirements."

"Please speak."

"First, my brothers and I must have independent freedom of action. Unless it involves a major battle concerning the life and death of the Heavenly Court, we have the right to choose whether to participate."

"Second, we must have priority access to the Heavenly Court's resources. Especially cultivation resources and legacies; they must be distributed fairly."

"Third—" Shi Potian stared at Lin Ye, "If one day I feel the Heavenly Court has taken the wrong path, or if there is a better place to go, I must have the freedom to leave."

Lin Ye smiled.

"Agreed."

He extended his hand. "Welcome to the Heavenly Court."

Shi Potian shook his hand. "Happy to cooperate."

[System Prompt: Player "Shi Potian" and his three hundred Hegemon Body death soldiers have officially joined the faction "Heavenly Court".]

[Faction Announcement: Hegemon Body Legacy inheritor Shi Potian has joined; the Heavenly Court's combat power has significantly increased.]

[Obtained Special Item: Hegemon Blood Legacy · I (The basic Hegemon Body cultivation method contributed by Shi Potian, which can be used to train Cultivators with the Hegemon Body Bloodline).]

[Heavenly Court Morale: +20 (Current: 105, Fanatical)]

The moment the System prompt sounded, the Heavenly Court members cleaning up the battlefield everywhere were stunned for a moment, then burst into cheers.

Everyone had seen with their own eyes just how strong Shi Potian and his three hundred Hegemon Body death soldiers were.

Smashing a command platform with one punch, severely injuring Sword Thirteen in ten breaths—this level of combat power was top-tier in the entire Yan State.

With such a powerhouse joining, the strength of the Heavenly Court would rise to another level.

And the three hundred Hegemon Body death soldiers brought by Shi Potian, although they suffered some losses in this battle (about thirty fallen), the remaining two hundred and seventy were all elites.

Although they were unruly, their combat effectiveness was unquestionable.

"Brother Shi, from today on, you are the fifth War General of the Heavenly Court," Lin Ye said. "Your status is equal to that of Su Qingyue, Chen Hao, and Lu Ming."

"In addition, your three hundred brothers can form an independent army, named the 'Hegemon Body Battalion', under your direct command."

Shi Potian nodded. "Good."

At this moment, Qin Ruoxue walked over hurriedly.

"Leader, the preliminary battlefield statistics are out." She handed over a Jade Slip.

"Our side had forty-seven fallen, eighty-nine severely injured, and over three hundred lightly injured."

"Regarding the three major guilds, the Imperial Dynasty had two hundred and thirty-seven fallen and one hundred and fifty-five severely injured; the All Under Heaven Society had one hundred and eighty-eight fallen and one hundred and twenty severely injured; the Misty Rain Tower had fifty-six fallen and forty-two severely injured."

"In addition, the captured loot is being counted. Preliminary estimates place the total value at over three million Spirit Stones."

"This includes a large amount of equipment, Medicinal Pills, Talismans, and some rare Materials carried by the three major guilds."

Lin Ye took the Jade Slip, scanned it with his Divine Sense, and nodded slightly.

This outcome was even better than he had expected.

"There is one more thing." Qin Ruoxue lowered her voice. "While cleaning up the ruins of the Imperial Dynasty's command platform, we found some... interesting things."

"What?"

Qin Ruoxue took out a few broken Jade Slip fragments. "These are fragments of the communication Jade Slip that the Son of Heaven carried with him."

"Although most of the content was destroyed, the technicians of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion managed to recover a small portion."

She handed the Jade Slip fragments to Lin Ye.

Lin Ye probed them with his Divine Sense.

The information remaining in the fragments was very scattered, but a few keywords appeared repeatedly: "Holy Land... Yaoguang... Cooperation...", "Chaos Valley... Must take...", "One year later... Fusion... Opportunity...", "Heavenly Dao... Fragment..."

Lin Ye's eyes narrowed. Holy Land? Yaoguang? The Imperial Dynasty and the Yaoguang Holy Land were cooperating?

And how did the Son of Heaven know the information about "Fusion in one year"?

Wasn't this a secret known only to Rebirthers like Lin Ye and Incarnations of heavenly dao fragments like Li Ruoyu?

And there was "heavenly dao fragment"... Could it be that the Son of Heaven also knew of Li Ruoyu's existence?

Things seemed to be more complicated than imagined.

"Keep this information secret for now." Lin Ye put away the Jade Slip fragments.

"In addition, increase the monitoring of the three major guilds."

"Although they were defeated, they may not be willing to withdraw from the Yan State."

"Especially the Imperial Dynasty... I suspect there are other forces behind them."

"Understood." Qin Ruoxue nodded and left.

Lin Ye looked at Shi Potian and found that the latter was staring at the Jade Slip fragments in his hand, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Brother Shi, what's wrong?" Lin Ye asked.

Shi Potian was silent for a moment, then said, "Did the fragments just now mention 'heavenly dao fragment'?"

"You've heard of it?" Lin Ye raised an eyebrow.

"I've heard some rumors." Shi Potian said in a low voice, "In the Legacy memories of the Hegemon Body Bloodline, there is a vague mention of the saying 'The Heavenly Dao is incomplete, and fragments are scattered.'"

"It is said that if one can collect all the heavenly dao fragments, one can master the ultimate secret of this world."

He looked at Lin Ye. "Night Emperor, do you know something?"

Lin Ye did not answer directly, but asked in return, "Brother Shi, when you awakened your Hegemon Body Bloodline, besides the power Legacy, what other information did you receive?"

Shi Potian hesitated for a moment, but finally said, "Some scattered memory fragments."

"About the ancient war, about some kind of 'catastrophe', and... about the location of the 'Hegemon Body Holy Land'."

"Hegemon Body Holy Land?"

"Yes." Shi Potian nodded. "In those memory fragments, the Hegemon Body lineage was once glorious in the ancient era and had a dedicated cultivation Holy Land."

"Later, because of the catastrophe, the Holy Land was destroyed and the Legacy was severed."

"But I can feel that the Holy Land has not completely disappeared; it was just hidden."

A trace of fervor flashed in his eyes. "If I can find the Hegemon Body Holy Land, I can obtain the complete Hegemon Body Legacy, and even... awaken a higher stage of the Hegemon Body Bloodline."

Lin Ye's heart stirred.

Hegemon Body Holy Land... This was an unexpected gain.

If Shi Potian could find and open the Hegemon Body Holy Land, it would be a huge boost for the Heavenly Court.

A complete Legacy Holy Land was no less valuable than the Chaos Valley.

"I will help you." Lin Ye said. "The Heavenly Court's intelligence network can help you find clues to the Hegemon Body Holy Land."

"But in exchange, after the Holy Land is opened, the Heavenly Court must have a certain right of use."

"Deal." Shi Potian agreed readily.

The two looked at each other and smiled, reaching a new agreement.

At this time, dusk was approaching.

The setting sun was like blood, dyeing the Meteorite Plain a crimson red.

On the battlefield, the smoke of war had not yet dissipated, and corpses lay everywhere, but the flag of victory had already been planted at the highest point of the Meteorite Crater.

In the distance, members of the Heavenly Court were repairing the base of the star guiding altar.

Although the starlight was dim, it had already begun to re-condense.

Further away, the remnants of the three major guilds were retreating in panic, exiting the Yan State.

In this battle, the Heavenly Court won.

But Lin Ye knew, this was just the beginning.

A greater storm was brewing.

He looked to the west, the direction of the Yaoguang Holy Land.

"Holy Land... heavenly dao fragment... one year Fusion..."

"It seems I must speed up."

Night fell, and the stars lit up again.

And in the Meteorite Crater, the repaired base of the star guiding altar began to emit faint starlight.

That starlight echoed with the stars in the sky, as if telling some ancient secret.

Shi Potian stood beside Lin Ye, also looking at the starry sky.

Deep in his right eye, a crimson-gold light flashed and disappeared.

The Hegemon Body Bloodline was resonating.

It seemed that in the depths of the starry sky, something was calling to him.

"Hegemon Body Holy Land... I will find you."