170: Where the gods fell, the new king was born!

Star-Piercing Shot, a strike that brings an end!

That streak of light, infused with three thunder laws, instantly struck the core of the Thunder Dragon with a causality-defying speed.

There was no sound.

No explosion.

Not even a ripple of energy.

The moment the spear hit its target, it transformed into a singularity of law that devoured everything.

The singularity frantically, greedily, pulled and collapsed the Thunder Dragon's massive body, which was composed of pure 'annihilation' law, inwards.

In the black, hole-like dragon eyes of the 'god' who had guarded the forbidden zone for billions of years, a hint of relief appeared for the first time.

Its body, like a weathered sand sculpture,

began to turn into the purest dark-purple light particles, inch by inch from its tail, and was completely swallowed by that tiny singularity.

The process was eerily quiet.

It was as if a grand and solemn funeral, spanning billions of years, was taking place.

When the dragon's head also dissipated into light particles, the law singularity vanished into nothingness.

Within the eye of the storm, the terrifying divine power that made one's soul tremble completely disappeared.

Inside the Bridge, there was a deathly silence.

Old Ghost's mouth hung open, his one good eye bloodshot, and he slumped to the ground like a puppet from which the soul had been extracted, staring blankly.

What had he seen?

A mortal.

Piloting a mech.

In just a few minutes, 'killed' a living god, materialized by law, head-on!

His brain had completely turned to mush.

All his knowledge about power, survival, and gods, which he had built up over decades in the cosmic graveyard, was today crushed into the most insignificant dust in the universe by this woman before him, in the most brutal and unreasonable way.

He was finished.

His worldview had completely collapsed.

On the throne, Lin Mo looked at the 'Thunder Dragon' mech silently suspended in the center of the eye of the storm on the screen, and at the 'thunderstorm core' which, after the 'god' dissipated, was completely free of all restraints. His tightly wound heart finally slowly relaxed.

He leaned on the armrest and slowly stood up.

Twice using the primordial power of the 'World Tree' still left his face a little pale, but his eyes were brighter than ever before.

He looked at the figure on the screen, a genuine, imperceptible smile playing on his lips.

He had made the right gamble.

From today onwards, the name Gu Zhixia would no longer just be his comrade.

She would become a new star in this starfield, capable of making all forces take notice!

A new king... who had personally slain a god!

“Cough... cough cough...”

Gu Zhixia's violent coughing came through the communication channel, accompanied by heavy breathing.

That last strike had almost drained all her energy and will.

At this moment, she was drenched in sweat, without the strength to even lift a finger.

But her phoenix eyes, which always burned with fire, were more brilliant than ever.

That was the unique glow, a mix of exhaustion and extreme satisfaction, after breaking through her own limits and glimpsing a higher level of scenery.

“Well done.”

Lin Mo's voice came through the channel, as calm as ever.

“Hmph, you don't need to tell me that.”

Although Gu Zhixia's voice was weak, the tsundere attitude ingrained in her bones remained undiminished.

Just then, the 'thunderstorm core', which had lost its guardian, suddenly glowed brightly!

It seemed to sense the same, yet more advanced, thunder law aura from the 'Thunder Dragon' mech.

Buzz—

An incredibly pure, liquid-gold-like primordial thunder power actively separated from the core, flowing like a docile golden stream towards the battered, energy-depleted 'Thunder Dragon'.

This was a gift from the law.

It was the coronation of the new king after the fall of the old god!

Under the nourishment of this primordial power, the 'Thunder Dragon's' appearance once again underwent astonishing evolution!

The hideous scars on the mech's surface rapidly repaired themselves.

The dark-purple dragon scale patterns became deeper, perfectly merging with the mech's original gold and blue colors, forming an indescribable, sacred yet sinister, magnificent aesthetic.

And the pair of massive light wings on its back completely solidified, transforming into a pair of true dragon wings made of pure crystals, shimmering with three-colored thunder light!

Every wing bone, every inch of wing membrane, was filled with explosive power and destructive aesthetics.

“Retrieve 'Thunder Dragon', prepare to return.”

Lin Mo gave the order, simultaneously activating the gravity tractor beam to carefully store the docile 'thunderstorm core' into a specially designed containment bay.

“Sister! Brother Mo! You guys are amazing!”

Gu Nianqiu's tearful cheer came through. She was bouncing and jumping, clutching her carrot pillow, her eyes watery, unsure if it was from fear or excitement.

Just then, Old Ghost, who had been slumped on the ground, suddenly sprang up like a reanimated corpse, scrambling to Lin Mo's front.

“Thud!”

He knelt down in a prostration more standard than any he'd performed in a bar, pressing his forehead firmly against the cold Bridge deck.

“God... Lord God!”

His voice was tearful and trembled uncontrollably.

“This lowly one was blind! This lowly one deserves ten thousand deaths! This lowly one should not have dared to peek into the world of gods!”

“Please, Lord, spare this dog's life!”

“Those... those three boxes of energy blocks, this lowly one doesn't want them anymore! Not a single penny! I only ask, Lord... don't kill me! Don't kill me!”

He was completely terrified.

In his eyes, an existence capable of personally slaying a god and receiving a gift from the law could no longer be described as merely 'strong'.

That was a new god, walking among mortals!

Bargaining with a god?

He hadn't lived enough yet!

The Natural Selection's return journey was a hundred times smoother.

Without the Thunder Dragon's law suppression, the storms outside the planet, though still violent, were like docile sheep before the Natural Selection, which had gained partial authority over the 'thunderstorm core'.

The storm made way for it.

The thunder submitted to it.

Soon, the ghostly black behemoth silently surged out of the purple storm clouds, returning to the silent deep space.

However, what awaited them was not the tranquility after Victory.

A sharp, piercing sound, far more jarring than any previous alarm, exploded!

“Warning! Detecting large-scale fleet jump reaction!”

“Quantity: Three hundred and seventy-two!”

“Threat Level: Annihilation-grade!”

“Warning! The enemy has completed tactical encirclement and is rapidly advancing into our airspace!”

The cold alarm instantly pulled the atmosphere in the Bridge from the joy of Victory back to cruel reality.

On the main screen, an impenetrable encirclement net, composed of countless red light dots, had completely sealed off all of the Natural Selection's escape routes.

And at the forefront of that fleet, a heavy flagship, entirely black, with a ferocious design and a giant sea monster insignia emblazoned on its bow, was aggressively approaching.

“It's the Leviathan's fleet!”

Old Ghost recognized the insignia at a glance, and his body, which had just stood up, went limp and he collapsed again, terrified.

“Flagship identification complete...”

The World Tree's electronic voice reported without a trace of emotion.

“Identity confirmed — Leviathan Guild Vice President, Jay.”