210: Native species extinction order

On the blood-colored, vast wilderness, Xuan Qiaodong woke up from his coma, feeling a splitting headache.

"What happened? How did I pass out?"

He felt a wave of confusion. As a Dynasty Enshrined Expert and a dignified Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator, how could he have mysteriously fainted on the battlefield?

It was practically a huge joke.

However, when he crawled up from the sticky ground and saw the scene before him clearly, he was instantly stunned.

Where was the orderly army that had been there before?

What replaced it now was a living Hell on earth.

An army of over a hundred thousand had evaporated in an instant, leaving only a scant ten thousand or so groaning in pain amidst the scorched earth and piles of corpses.

Blood flowed freely, dyeing more than half of the wilderness red; the thick, pungent smell of blood made one want to vomit.

"W-what happened!"

Xuan Qiao stood up abruptly, looking around in a daze.

His mind was a blank... After an unknown amount of time, he finally remembered to gather the remaining soldiers and organize the rescue of the wounded.

Under the shouting of the Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator, those crippled soldiers with missing limbs began to move, rescuing their comrades from the mountain of corpses and sea of blood.

"Senior! It's the demons, the Outer Realm Heavenly Demons!"

Someone suddenly pointed toward the horizon, their face as pale as paper, their whole body trembling uncontrollably.

Looking in that direction, he saw a massive metallic cloud on the distant horizon expanding rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Soon, a massive army composed entirely of Outer Realm Heavenly Demons appeared in their field of vision.

They had ferocious visages, and the wings unfurled behind their backs filled the remaining soldiers with terror, even giving rise to thoughts of despair.

"My God—it's the Outer Realm Heavenly Demons!"

Upon seeing this scene, the remaining soldiers all chose to flee.

However, this group of Outer Realm Heavenly Demons had no intention of letting them go; they one after another summoned strange Magical Artifacts.

From dozens of miles away, countless techniques of the strange Dao attacked.

Under the attack of these techniques, the already few remaining soldiers of the Xiling Dynasty were almost entirely wiped out.

"Buzz!"

"Bang bang bang."

Outer Realm Heavenly Demons continuously descended from the sky, landing heavily on the blood-colored, vast wilderness.

"Come on! Outer Realm Heavenly Demons!"

Amidst the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, Xuan Qiaodong took out a Magical Artifact and attacked an Outer Realm Heavenly Demon.

His Magical Artifact was a halberd, entirely crimson in color, its sharp blade flashing with a cold, piercing light.

With a roar, Xuan Qiaodong's True Qi erupted, and he charged forward with the halberd in hand.

With a "bang," he hit the enemy.

However, that Outer Realm Heavenly Demon was powerful, and using only physical strength, it sent Xuan Qiaodong flying back.

"Cough, cough."

He spat out a mouthful of blood and barely managed to stand firm.

Although he was no match, that strike just now had also wounded the Outer Realm Heavenly Demon.

"Zzz zzz zzz."

A wound had been cut into the Outer Realm Heavenly Demon's body, from which black blood continuously seeped, along with faint arcs of electricity.

Bang bang bang, several loud thuds.

Another seven or eight Outer Realm Heavenly Demons of the same appearance landed nearby, surrounding Xuan Qiaodong in the center.

He noticed that these Outer Realm Heavenly Demons did not attack him all at once, but instead spread out to a certain distance.

At the very front, the Outer Realm Heavenly Demon he had just fought took out a strange sword-shaped Magical Artifact and performed a sword salute toward him.

It seemed like pity, yet also like admiration.

Immediately after, it raised that strange Magical Artifact and charged forward.

Xuan Qiaodong shouted loudly, "I am Xuan Qiaodong, Enshrined Expert of the Xiling Dynasty. Today, I shall fight to the death and never retreat!"

A moment later... Drip, drip, drip.

A communication request came through on the ecological instrument, and a young Lapu Galaxy Empire Armament Master appeared in the video.

[second lieutenant Caleb Phar, your Armed Equipment seems to have sustained a moderate level of damage.]

"I can still fight."

[Feedback received, please confirm Armed Equipment status at all times.]

The communication closed, and Caleb and his teammates continued to clear the remaining battlefield.

"Activate life scanner."

[Life scan activated.]

Before long, every native on the entire wilderness had been killed; not a single soul was left alive.

Next, Caleb and his teammates received their next mission—to attack the native city.

[Mission Requirement: 1. Extermination!]

[Mission Requirement: 2. Collect high-energy objects.]

"For the Emperor!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. The steel wings vibrated again as countless steel soldiers headed toward the not-so-distant Xiling Royal Capital.

"What is that in the sky?"

Inside the Xiling Royal Capital, civilians and Cultivators busy fleeing for their lives looked up at the sky and screamed in terror upon seeing the black shadows flying across the heavens.

"Run... it's the Outer Realm Heavenly Demons..."

"How did the Outer Realm Heavenly Demons get here so fast? Hasn't His Majesty the Emperor already led the personal expedition?"

"Wuwuwu..."

"City Guard!!! Emergency assembly!"

"Quick, raise the Formation!"

Panic, fear, and crying filled every corner of the Royal Capital, though there were also those who tried to resist.

With a "pop."

The Xiling Royal Capital's city protection array opened, enveloping the entire capital.

This move seemed to have some effect, as the Outer Realm Heavenly Demons were blocked outside the Formation.

However, this was only temporary.

[Headquarters, Headquarters]

[This is second lieutenant Caleb Phar. We have encountered an enemy energy barrier obstruction.]

[Requesting: Energy Level 4, Spore Energy-Devouring Bomb strike.]

[Request approved. Please send strike coordinates immediately and stay clear!]

Soon, from within the steel fortress, a missile was launched.

The missile streaked across the sky, leaving a long trail before directly hitting the target.

Accompanied by a loud explosion, the Xiling Royal Capital's city protection array crumbled inch by inch, leaving no further obstacles.

[Operation start!]

Caleb issued the command, and countless mechanical soldiers of the Lapu Galaxy Empire dropped from high altitude into the Xiling Royal Capital.

They fell like raindrops onto the ground; streets, pavilions, and even that magnificent palace were shattered by the impact of their descent.

Within the Xiling Royal Capital, there were Cultivators resisting to the death, civilians begging for mercy, city guards unafraid of death, and even traitors backstabbing their own people to surrender and lead the way.

In short, the slaughter began... "Commander, forgive me!"

Puchi... The blood-covered City Guard Commander turned around, looking at the black-armored man who had pierced his chest. He managed to lift a finger to point at the other man, his eyes filled with intense hatred.

However, he could no longer utter a single word.

When this black-armored man tried to defect to the Outer Realm Heavenly Demons with the former's head, all he got was a heartless execution by them.

Caleb Phar stood in the distance, watching his soldiers execute the cold extermination order; he felt quite uneasy in his heart.

"An alien battlefield... so this is what it's like..."

But why would the Great Emperor issue such an order?

No, I should not question the Great Emperor!

The Great Emperor is always right!

He took a deep breath, and his gaze immediately became incomparably firm... Inside the command center of the cosmic battleship.

A muscular old man stood with his arms crossed before a giant screen.

His military uniform was stretched tight across his body, and a Brigadier General's insignia hung on his chest.

At this moment, his expression was extremely ugly.

Simply because he had just received news that made him exceptionally angry—the Stargate was about to undergo temporary maintenance, with an uncertain completion time.

"Connect me to the Military Port Defense Officer immediately!"

[This is the Military Port Defense Officer.]

The Military Port Defense Officer appeared on the other end of the screen.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous it is over at the alien battlefield right now?"

"How many of my Lapu people are fighting for the Emperor! They need support, they need supplies!"

"That is a Governor-level alien battlefield! Why maintain the Stargate at a time like this?"

[I am very sorry, Brigadier General Zigrem. I will urge for the maintenance to be completed as soon as possible!]

After saying that one sentence, the other party closed the communication.

Zigrem's brow furrowed. For some reason, he felt as if there were some kind of problem here.

First, they were sent to conquer the alien battlefield, then a General appeared and bypassed Ranks to issue an extermination directive against the alien battlefield's native life.

And now, they were even preparing to forcibly "maintain" the Stargate, looking completely like they were giving no way out.

It was as if there was a terrifying power behind this, wanting to put someone to death... Zigrem's eyes showed three parts exhaustion and seven parts hatred.

"Vermin of the Empire!"

..."Zhenxiao Combat Squad! Prepare to move out."

Inside the steel fortress, Xia Mulin conveyed the command to the entire Combat Squad...