151: Qinglan made a move

The three people were Yan Wuhuo, Yan Ji, and... the "Connoisseur of Rubbish" herself, Yun Qinglan, who had arrived on the battlefield instantly using Yun Qinglan's spatial techniques!

Yan Wuhuo's dragon robes fluttered slightly, his face carrying a regal majesty and a rage suppressed to the extreme... Yan Ji's phoenix eyes held a murderous glint, her body faintly surrounded by Dragon Flame, and the phantom of the National Treasure, the "Yanhuang Phoenix Crown," loomed in her hair... As for Yun Qinglan, she remained in her elegant, simple long dress, her beautiful face as calm as an ancient well... It was as if this grand battlefield, where hundreds of trillions of warships clashed and Star Arm Peak experts wreaked havoc, was less noteworthy than the blooming and falling of a single flower in her father's manor... Their appearance was so calm and indifferent, forming an absurd and extreme contrast with the hellish scene surrounding them.

It was as if... three passersby had suddenly stumbled into the center of a nuclear explosion, looking as if they were about to hold a concert?

For one ten-thousandth of a second, the entire battlefield fell into a dead silence.

Even the sound of explosions seemed to freeze for a moment.

The gazes of all survivors—whether it was the despair of the Dragonborn soldiers or the fanaticism of the United States soldiers—instantly focused on this abruptly appearing trio.

President Edgar's pupils constricted slightly, his sharp gaze instantly locking onto Yan Wuhuo.

"Yan Wuhuo!" His voice was icy, carrying a hint of 'as expected,' "You finally decided to come out of your turtle shell! And you brought... two sacrificial offerings?"

His gaze swept over Yan Ji and lingered briefly on Yun Qinglan. His Divine Sense swept past her, but it was like a clay ox entering the sea; he could not perceive any energy fluctuations, as if she were merely an exquisite phantom.

"Hmph, playing tricks!" Edgar sneered inwardly, concluding that this woman was either using some clever concealment method or that Yan Wuhuo was putting on a front.

In the face of absolute power, these were all jokes!

Behind him, a hot-tempered Star Arm Level Peak councilor nicknamed "Thunderstorm" could no longer suppress his billion years of Killing Intent. Seeing this, he laughed wildly:

"Hahaha! Yan Wuhuo! You brought this little girl and your precious daughter here to die? Are you afraid the road to the Yellow Springs will be too lonely, so you found someone to warm the bed?!"

Foul language mixed with the pressure of a Star Arm Level Peak, striking toward Yun Qinglan like a physical shockwave.

However, that mental pressure—enough to shatter stars—silently dissolved into nothingness when it came within three feet of Yun Qinglan, like snow meeting the sun... it failed to move even a single strand of her hair!

Yun Qinglan didn't even lift an eyelid, as if the attack wasn't the malice of a Star Arm Level Peak powerhouse, but rather the imperceptible breeze from the wings of a buzzing fly... This eerie scene caused Councilor "Thunderstorm's" laughter to stop abruptly, a flash of alarm and doubt crossing his face.

Edgar frowned slightly, that trace of unease surfacing again, but he still possessed absolute confidence in his own power.

Eleven against three?

No! Eleven against two!

He didn't take Yan Ji seriously; this was a total stomp!

"Yan Wuhuo, kneel! Hand over your Dragon Core and National Treasure, and this President might give your Dragonborn Imperial Family a dignified end!" Edgar's voice boomed with the majesty of a final judgment, "Otherwise, after today, not a single Soul of the Dragonborn Bloodline shall remain!"

The fury in Yan Wuhuo's dragon eyes was almost ready to erupt. He was about to speak when Yan Ji, beside him, pulled him gently.

Yan Ji stepped forward, her phoenix crown and robes moving without wind. She looked at Edgar, her voice cold and firm: "The Free United States has broken its word, invaded our territory, and slaughtered our people! Today, the Dragonborn Empire and you all shall fight until one of us is no more!"

"Until one of us is no more?" Edgar acted as if he had heard a massive joke. He looked around at the ten murderous Star Arm Level Peak colleagues behind him and said proudly:

"With just you? You, a pseudo-Star Arm Level High who only reached that level by relying on a National Treasure? What do you have to fight us, eleven true Star Arm Level Peaks, until death?!"

He waved his hand suddenly, his Killing Intent soaring: "Since you refuse to realize your error, then—"

"Wait."

A cold, ethereal voice that seemed to contain no human emotion abruptly interrupted him.

Yun Qinglan, who had been silent, finally lifted her eyes slightly.

What kind of eyes were those?

They were clear to the bottom, yet seemed to contain the ultimate truths of the Universe's birth and destruction and the rotation of the Star River.

Her gaze fell calmly on Edgar—no anger, no contempt, not even an emotional ripple. It was as if she were looking at a stone or a blade of grass.

"You," she parted her red lips, her voice not loud, yet it strangely drowned out all the noise of the battlefield and clearly entered the perception of every living being, "talk too much."

Edgar was stunned, and then a surge of rage at being provoked by an ant welled up in his heart: "What did you say?!"

Yun Qinglan did not look at him again. Instead, she slowly swept her gaze over the ten Star Arm Level Peak councilors behind Edgar, as if taking inventory of goods... Finally!

Her gaze fell back on Edgar, and in that flat, rippleless tone, she spoke words that made the blood pressure of the entire United States high command skyrocket:

"The eleven of you, come at me together."

Her slender, white finger gently pointed at the eleven people, including Edgar.

"I'm in a hurry."

"My father is still waiting for me to return."

...Silence!

A deathly silence!

If the appearance of the three earlier was abrupt, then Yun Qinglan's words were absolute, ridiculous... the ravings of a lunatic!

One person, provoking eleven Star Arm Level Peaks?

And saying... she was in a hurry to go back and see her father?!

"Pfft—Hahaha!" Councilor Thunderstorm was the first who couldn't help it, laughing so hard he doubled over, lightning crackling wildly around him. "What did I just hear? Has this little girl been scared stupid? Hahahaha!"

"See your father? I think you want to become cosmic dust!" another unnamed councilor sneered, the gravitational field around him changing violently.

Even the usually calm "Strategist" councilor's virtual image flickered violently, clearly left speechless by this absurd provocation... President Edgar laughed out of extreme anger. He stopped wasting words, murder bursting from his eyes: "Since you seek death, this President shall fulfill your wish! Take her! Alive! I want to see where Yan Wuhuo found such an ignorant..."

Before his word "lunatic" could escape his mouth—

Yun Qinglan moved first... She did not perform any earth-shattering phenomena, nor did she trigger any tidal waves of Laws.

She simply... gently stepped forward.

With one step, the distance was bridged!

Her figure seemed to be peeled away from the original layer of space-time, bypassing the distance of space in a way that exceeded the understanding of all Star Arm Level Peaks present... appearing directly—at the very center of the encirclement of the eleven United States Peak powerhouses!

"What?!"

"Space folding?! No!"

"Her method of movement..."

Before the cries of surprise could fade, Yun Qinglan had already struck... she extended a single finger... a slender, translucent white finger that looked as if it would break with a gentle snap... At the fingertip, a point of faint light condensed!

That light was not dazzling; it was even somewhat soft, like the most distant star in the night sky.

But the moment this point of faint light appeared, the eleven Star Arm Level Peaks, led by Edgar, all had their expressions change drastically!

They felt a kind of... absolute suppression stemming from their very life Origin and the level of Universal Laws!

It was as if they had encountered a natural predator!

Encountered... a being of a higher life level!

"Innate Radiant Body... She is an Innate Radiant Body!!!" The most knowledgeable Strategist councilor let out a scream of extreme terror, his voice changing pitch:

"Impossible! How can there be an Innate Radiant Body in the Sagittarius Arm?! How could the seed of a Star River Level Civilization appear here?!"

However... it was already too late!

Yun Qinglan's finger, surrounded by faint light, lightly traced a line toward the nearest councilor, "Thunderstorm," who had just spoken foul words.

There was no sound, no light or shadow effects.

Councilor "Thunderstorm's" ten-thousand-foot Lightning Dharma Body, along with the destructive Thunderstorm roaring around him, was wiped away like an eraser clearing a drawing!

From head to toe, he was annihilated inch by inch!

Turning into the purest cosmic energy particles, he dissipated into nothingness!

The expression of shock and disbelief still remained on his face; he didn't even have time to make any defense or reaction.

A Star Arm Level Peak powerhouse had fallen!

Done effortlessly, like brushing away a speck of dust.

Silence!!!

This time, it was a true deathly silence that made even the Soul tremble!

The remaining ten United States Peaks, including President Edgar, all froze in place like frozen statues.

They looked at Yun Qinglan, at her finger that had just erased a being of the same rank, and at her eyes that remained as calm as ever...

A bone-chilling cold rushed from their spines straight to the crowns of their heads!

Fear!

Uncontrollable fear spread wildly through their hearts like a virus!

Just what kind of monster is this?!

Innate Radiant Body... the legendary Innate Radiant Body!!!

It is benchmarked against a Level 4 Star River Level Civilization seed!

It is a supreme Physique capable of mobilizing a galaxy's Origin through individual power!

It is an existence that Star Arm Level experts can only look up to!!!

How could she be an Innate Radiant Body?!

How could she appear in the Dragonborn Empire?!

How could she be helping Yan Wuhuo?!

Countless questions and despair filled their minds... "Disperse! Form the array! Use the 'Source Marrow Forbidden Art'!" Edgar, being a formidable leader after all, was the first to react from the shock, letting out a shrill roar, "She is only one person! We will wear her down to death!!"

The remaining nine councilors snapped out of it as if from a dream, instantly transforming into ten streaks of light. They tried to pull away and form the combined combat array they had practiced countless times.

At the same time, they began to burn their Origin without hesitation, attempting to burst forth with power that surpassed their limits!

However—

"Too slow."

Yun Qinglan's cold voice rang out again, like the whisper of a death god.

She didn't even look at the figures flying off in all directions to set up the combined combat array. She simply reached out both hands, her ten fingers moving like they were playing invisible harp strings, lightly plucking at the Void Realm.

"Buzz~" "Buzz~" "Buzz~"... Nine subtle sounds, as if harp strings were vibrating, rang out... With every pluck of her fingertips, a Free United States Star Arm Level Peak expert, who was frantically fleeing or trying to form the array, suddenly stiffened like a puppet controlled by invisible threads!

The radiance burning around them came to a screeching halt, the tidal waves of Laws they had invoked subsided silently, and the ferocious expressions on their faces froze... and then—

“Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!”... Like nine tragic and beautiful fireworks, they bloomed one after another in the cold starry sky.

The remaining nine Star Arm Level Peak experts, along with the forbidden arts they tried to cast, the divine weapons they summoned, and the phenomena they condensed... were all simultaneously and utterly detonated from the inside out by an invisible, intangible, yet absolutely irresistible force!

They turned into ten brilliant yet brief halos of energy, illuminating this desperate battlefield.

The blood of Star Arm Level Peak experts poured down like golden waterfalls, only to be completely evaporated by the violent energy in the next moment.

Ten billion years of accumulation, ten billion years of forbearance, ten billion years of vengeful ambition... before an Innate Radiant Body... were as fragile as bubbles in the sunlight!

Thus, of the eleven Star Arm Level Peak experts the Free United States had spent its national strength to create... only President Edgar remained!

He floated alone in the Void Realm, watching his colleagues dissipate like festive fireworks, looking at that woman in a snow-white dress who remained untainted by a speck of dust... The coldness, resolve, hatred, and confidence on his face... all expressions vanished, leaving only boundless fear and daze.

He couldn't understand!

Why?!

Why would ten billion years of planning be destroyed by an Innate Radiant Body who suddenly appeared and shouldn't even exist in this Star Domain?!

This isn't fair!!!

“Argh!!!!!!!!!!” Edgar let out a roar of despair and resentment.

He suddenly looked at Yun Qinglan, his eyes bloodshot like a gambler who had lost everything. "I'll fight you to the death!!! Long live the United States for billions upon billions of years!!!"

He frantically burned all the remaining life Origin in his body, and even his Star Core began to crack, as he attempted to launch one final, suicidal strike!

Majestic energy gathered within him, his body began to swell, and he emitted waves of destructive power!

However, Yun Qinglan only gave him a faint glance.

That gaze was still devoid of any emotion, as if she were looking at an ant trying to shake a giant tree.

She raised that terrifying finger again and lightly tapped toward the frenzied Edgar.

"Freeze!"

The violent, surging energy around Edgar that was about to explode instantly solidified, as if a pause button had been pressed!

His swollen body froze in mid-air, the crazed expression on his face turned to ice, and only endless terror and disbelief remained in his eyes!!!

He couldn't even... self-detonate!!!

Yun Qinglan didn't look at him again, as if dealing with him was just a trivial matter she had handled in passing.

She turned around, looked at Yan Wuhuo and Yan Ji, who were also in a state of petrification in the distance, and nodded slightly:

"The enemies have been purged. You handle the rest."

Her voice was still flat, as if she hadn't just crushed eleven Star Arm Level Peak experts, but had merely swatted a few buzzing mosquitoes.

After saying that, silver light flashed on her body again, and her figure instantly vanished from the spot... Long after Yun Qinglan had left, the battlefield remained in a state of dead silence!

The surviving Dragonborn soldiers stared blankly at the empty Void Realm, where only some energy residue and broken Laws remained, and then at President Edgar, who was frozen alone in mid-air like an insect in amber... Then, world-shaking cheers of wild joy from having survived the disaster erupted like a tsunami!

"We won!!! We won!!!"

"Long live the Dragonborn Empire for billions upon billions of years!!!"

"Long live the White-Robed Goddess for billions upon billions of years!!!"

...Marshal Ao Zhan's eyes filled with tears, and he trembled with excitement. He looked at Yan Wuhuo and Yan Ji, his voice choked with emotion: "Your Majesty! Princess! We... we held the line!!"

Yan Wuhuo let out a long sigh of relief, as if to exhale all the pent-up gloom and despair in his chest.

He looked in the direction where Yun Qinglan had disappeared, his eyes filled with endless awe and gratitude.

He felt once again incredibly fortunate that the Dragonborn Empire had made the most correct decision in ten billion years: to form an alliance with Ancestor Chen and the Human Federation!!!

A brilliant light also flickered in Yan Ji's beautiful eyes. She tightly gripped her father's arm, her heart filled with curiosity and... an indescribable yearning for that mysterious and powerful Her Highness Qinglan, as well as the even more unfathomable Ancestor Chen behind her.

Just how powerful was that strength?

What kind of transcendent existence was that?

Yan Wuhuo composed himself, his dragon-like eyes becoming sharp again. He looked at Edgar, who was frozen in mid-air with despairing eyes, and gave a cold smile:

"President Edgar, it seems that today, the blood debt of ten billion years will be repaid with the fate of your United States!"

He waved his hand: "Ao Zhan! Accept the surrender of all United States fleets! Kill anyone who dares to resist!"

"Yes! Your Majesty!"

Having lost all their Peak combat power and with even their president becoming a captive, the massive fleet of the Free United States instantly lost its will to fight.

Under the encirclement of the Dragonborn Empire's fleet, they shut down their engines one after another and raised white flags... This war of revenge, ignited by ten billion years of hatred and thought to be a guaranteed victory, ended in a crushing manner that no one had anticipated.

As for the initiator, Yun Qinglan, she had already returned to the Pillar of Leaders, to Chen Jun's manor.

When she appeared beside Chen Jun, he was holding a freshly baked piece of "Stellar Pastry" that emitted faint starlight and looked very delicious, preparing to take a bite.

"You're back?" Seeing his daughter, Chen Jun handed the pastry over with a smile. "Want a taste? It's freshly made and still warm."

Yun Qinglan took it and took a small bite. A very subtle hint of satisfaction seemed to flash through her cold eyes.

"How was it? Everything settled over there?" Chen Jun asked casually.

"Mm." Yun Qinglan nodded slightly and swallowed the pastry. "Eleven of them, dealt with. Left the leader for the Dragon Emperor to handle."

"Oh, quite efficient." Chen Jun nodded with satisfaction and picked up another piece of pastry. "You didn't get hurt, did you?"

Yun Qinglan shook her head and looked at Chen Jun, her cold voice seeming to soften by an imperceptible margin: "Father, the pastry is very delicious."

Chen Jun immediately beamed with joy: "Haha, as long as it's delicious! Next time, I'll have the Divine Chefs research some new varieties!"

The father and daughter sat there by the lounge chairs in the manor, leisurely sharing snacks.

It was as if that battle in the sea of stars that decided the fate of two great civilizations was really just an inconsequential farce that had interrupted their afternoon tea... Meanwhile, the terrifying legend of the girl in the white dress, accompanied by the trembling and recitations of the survivors, began to sweep across the entire Sagittarius Arm at a speed exceeding that of light...