The explanations of both were basically the same: they didn’t currently need anything and decided to convert the rewards into Merit Points for later exchange when necessities arise.

Their decision was not interfered with by the rest of the Hidden Pulse members.

After the allocation process was completed, under Song Shixing’s leadership, they moved once again to the next operation site without any lingering attachment.

…

The Song Family’s actions spanned a full month, until the Flame Sparrow Clan discovered the massacre of the Fire Crow Clan and proactively reacted. Only then did all the core members of Hidden Pulse withdraw entirely into Dragon Abyss City.

“Hahaha, what a thrill! You guys have no idea how satisfying it was to bombard the Sword Slave Clan with artillery fire. Years ago, they ambushed and killed two Fourth Rank Clan Elders of our Song Family. This time, we flattened a medium-sized Sword Bone City, exterminated three Fifth Rank Sword Slave Clan members, and over twenty Fourth Rank Sword Slave Clan members.”

“Exactly! It’s a pity that Sword Bone Cities guarded by Sixth Rank Sword Slave Clan members can activate the Myriad Slave Sword Bone Formation. Even if we unleash the Starry Sky Dragon Shark, it’s hard to breach them in a short time. Otherwise, those Sixth Rank Sword Slave Clan members would’ve been dead for sure.”

“No need. It would be wasteful to use the Starry Sky Dragon Shark for this kind of matter. This operation was just about plundering some special resources and avenging our past grievances. The greatest value of the Red Star Continent ultimately lies in its large-scale and even gigantic resource veins, the Eighth Rank Origin Eruption Eye, and the ubiquitous Starry Sea Alien Races. All these require us to establish our own cities.”

“To establish a stable city, we’ll need Dominator Creatures to oversee it. Once our city is built, the Starry Sky Dragon Shark will undoubtedly become its emblem. Its role as the neutral custodian of city order will be crucial.”

“Moreover, there were unexpected additional gains from the Sword Bone City we wiped out.”

At this point, someone nearby laughed and remarked:

“That’s true. Who would’ve thought they had just finished mining an entire Pure Yang Jade vein? All those millennia-old Pure Yang Jades now belong to us. This material happens to be one of the special resources required for Cruisers to transition into Zhulu Warships. It should increase the success rate of our clan members who attempt the upgrade in the future.”

…

As soon as they returned to Dragon Abyss City, the core members began discussing the recent actions and the Hidden Pulse’s future arrangements.

Upon regrouping at Dragon Abyss Hall, Song Shixing promptly issued the next instructions.

“This operation has attracted the attention of several Dominator Creatures, including the Flame Sparrow Dominator and the Master of Sword Slave. For the time being, just stay low and avoid heading out until the impact subsides.”

“Understood!”

“Got it!”

…

After the post-battle discussions concluded, Song Chi left Dragon Abyss Hall, planning to return to his own residence. Although he hadn’t secured immense gains during this operation, he still came out with something valuable.

Specifically, he held in hand a bottle containing dozens of drops of Time Marrow Fluid. This bottle of Time Marrow Fluid was taken from the treasury of a medium-sized civilization destroyed five days ago. Combined with the accumulated output from the Cultivation Secret Realm over the years, it was now sufficient for him to upgrade the Time Chess components to Lv60.

However, just as he turned to leave, a soft voice called out from behind.

“Brother?”

Turning around, he saw that it was Song Yan who had called out to him. Song Chi’s expression remained composed, though he felt a bit surprised internally.

Over the past five years, coupled with the recent month-long collaborative operation, Song Chi had gained considerable insight into this elder cousin of his generation.

Song Yan was no ordinary individual. His age exceeded Song Chi’s by approximately fifty years, making him roughly three hundred thirty years old. Yet what was truly frightening was that his Guidance Technique had already reached the Fifth Rank Peak, and his Seed of Torch had long since advanced to Silver Quality.

Additionally, a detail that deeply startled Song Chi—Song Yan’s mastery of the Law of Fire had already entered Major Achievement territory. Song Chi didn’t know the specifics, and his Double Pupils couldn’t discern the exact depth, but those accomplishments alone were sufficient to prove Song Yan’s formidable prowess.

Considering that Song Chi himself possessed the golden finger of the Zhu Tian Ruins Market, enabling him to reach his current stage within two hundred years, one couldn’t help but wonder: Song Yan, on the other hand, had achieved all this without such assistance—how?

“Brother, what’s the matter?”

Though a flood of thoughts filled him, Song Chi reacted swiftly, maintaining an unaffected demeanor and expression.

Song Yan didn’t immediately reply, instead redirecting: “Don’t rush. Come sit at my place first.”

The pair walked all the way to Song Yan’s residence. Yet before Song Chi could speak further, Song Yan activated a specially authorized isolation field.

As Song Chi’s heart tightened, Song Yan gestured gently and said: “Relax. I’m primarily shielding against Xingzu’s surveillance. After this operation, it’s clear that he doesn’t want us heading out recklessly anytime soon…”

“Brother, are you suggesting we go out together?”

Song Yan nodded.

Noticing Song Chi frown and appear ready to decline, Song Yan quickly interrupted: “Seventh Brother, hear me out first…”

Hearing this, Song Chi had no choice but to remain silent and listen to Song Yan’s plan.

“Seventh Brother, are you interested in pulling off something major?”

Song Chi didn’t respond immediately, instead gazing calmly at Song Yan.

Under his scrutiny, Song Yan cleared his throat and continued explaining: “Here’s the deal. About ten thousand miles east of Dragon Abyss City lies a Star Spirit Race civilization. Though it’s considered an advanced civilization…”

The moment he heard “advanced civilization,” Song Chi lost interest.

An advanced civilization typically had Dominators overseeing it, along with hidden trump cards. To believe one could easily target such a civilization with only a Starry Sky Dragon Shark as support was gravely naïve.

Perhaps sensing Song Chi’s doubts, Song Yan hastened to elaborate.

“Seventh Brother, just let me finish. First, the Star Spirit Race’s Dominator only recently ascended to the Seventh Rank, making them a newly risen Dominator…”

Even so, Song Chi’s enthusiasm remained minimal.

With the Zhu Tian Ruins Market’s monthly fortune-generating abilities, Song Chi prioritized caution above all else. He wasn’t short on resources and had no intention of provoking other Dominator Creatures unless there was an imperative situation, such as when the New Moon Matriarch was involved—a case where multiple Dominators joined forces against a severely injured target, all facilitated by the Ruins Market Projection.

However, Song Yan’s next comment undeniably piqued Song Chi’s interest.

“Moreover, the Star Spirit Race is a tribe born of unique celestial bodies, naturally drawn to various stars and celestial phenomena, especially those remnants from the Multiverse Era.”

Intrigued, Song Chi interjected: “Brother, are you saying the Star Spirit Race possesses Neutron Star Remains?”

Song Yan nodded firmly.

“Absolutely. Not only that, but they possess more than just one or two pieces. According to a captive servant I have inside, there are at least three pieces.”

Not stopping there, Song Yan added further details: “They also hold Black Hole Dense Stone!”

“We won’t act alone for this mission. Besides you and me, I have two other highly capable friends. We’ll only need the Starry Sky Dragon Shark to delay the Star Spirit Dominator briefly, and our objectives will be accomplished!”

Song Chi fell into silent contemplation, weighing the pros and cons.

Strategically, the idea made sense. In addition to the Starry Sky Dragon Shark, he could call upon the Zhu Tian Ruins Market Projection to guarantee safety. However, his primary concern was whether using the Projection Rank would lead to a profit or a loss.

The Projection Rank required a Silver Oddity to activate, and given the four participants in this operation, the spoils would be divided equally. Whether they could recover the expense was uncertain.

After all, while the Star Spirit Dominator was newly ascended, the civilization’s foundation lacked the depth of a traditional advanced civilization, and with the Dominator present, stripping them of all assets wouldn’t be feasible. Gaining four Silver Oddities wasn’t guaranteed.

After a moment’s hesitation, Song Chi eventually decided to give it a try.

His motivation wasn’t solely for monetary gain but for the opportunity to acquire the Neutron Star Remains and the rare Black Hole Dense Stone held by the Star Spirit Race. These resources were exceedingly rare, and relying on self-sufficient methods to find them could take far longer.

Speaking of the Neutron Star Remains, they were critical for advancing the Neutron Star Core Armor to Golden Quality. The more the better, and the faster the better.

“Alright. When is the set date for this operation?”

Seeing Song Chi’s agreement, Song Yan seemed pleased, his face lighting up with a visible smile.

“Excellent. With you onboard, this plan is as good as done. As for timing, my friends haven’t confirmed yet, but it should be within the next few months!”

…

With their agreement secured, Song Chi didn’t linger any further and quickly returned to his place. Sёarch* The novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Within the Underground Warship Summoning Room, he retrieved the Time Marrow Fluid and fortified the Time Chess components to Lv60.

The upgrade improved the instrument’s universal cooldown reduction, raising it further from 40% to 45%. Yet Song Chi showed little excitement on his face.

Compared to the Time Chess itself, his real interest lay in the potential existence of the Time Chess Board. Since obtaining his second Time Chess piece from Pan Ying, he hadn’t made any meaningful progress on uncovering other pieces.

Despite conducting over a hundred exploration attempts across the Alien Star Domain over several decades, he’d come across no further hints from the Heavenly Destiny Compass within its designated region. How could he not feel frustrated?

“Fate? To hell with fate!”

Even with the Golden Quality tracking component of the Heavenly Destiny Compass in hand, locating additional Time Chess pieces seemed an arduous challenge. Depending solely on fate?

After venting internally for a bit, Song Chi refocused and summoned his warship, heading into the Ruins Market.

Above the Zhu Tian Ruins Market, Song Chi sat upon the virtual projection of the Starry Sky Throne, with the fake Enlightenment Meditation Mat beneath him. Before him was a faint trace of the Time Law, and using his Double Pupils, he was entirely immersed in comprehending this newly mastered law.

Compared to the nearly perfected Space and Light Laws where his comprehension degree approached Major Achievement, his understanding of the Time Law, hovering merely at 40%, was still relatively easy to advance.

His sudden impulse to delve into law comprehension had been partly stirred up by his routine cultivation but primarily by Song Yan’s impressive feats.

A Battleship Captain exceeding three hundred years of age, who had achieved the Major Achievement stage of the Law of Fire while seemingly advancing further along that path—it wasn’t a feat to be taken lightly.

Time flew by, and within a few months, Song Chi found himself back on Dragon Spine Continent.

Not because anything urgent had arisen on Dragon Spine Continent, but because an @mention notification on the Shaking Light Star Rank had caught his attention.

Initially, Song Chi assumed someone had personally contacted him. Yet upon opening the Star Order Group Chat, he realized otherwise.

“Member ‘Corpse Dog’ @mentioned all participants: The Tower has issued a new ‘Chaos Task.’ If interested, log in proactively to check it out!”

Glancing at the message, Song Chi raised an eyebrow.

Chaos Task, as the name implied, referred to assignments issued by the Shaking Light Star Tower with rewards including opportunities to perceive the Chaos Stele.

Having already exhausted his perception attempts with the Chaos Stele, Song Chi naturally found great interest in this development. He swiftly activated his projection to log into the Star Tower.

“As expected, everyone’s deeply intrigued by the Chaos Task!”

Looking at the significantly larger crowd gathered in the Star Tower Great Hall compared to normal times, Song Chi silently noted this observation.

Making his way to the Star Tower’s task window, his eyes quickly settled on the pinned Chaos Task.

[Task: Secret Realm Exploration]

[Restriction: Fifth Rank and below Torch Captain]

[Task Description: A Vice Hall Master of Beidou Seven Stars Main Hall inadvertently discovered a special Secret Realm while exploring the Alien Star Domain. Details of the Secret Realm are still unclear.]

[Task Reward: Star Tower Mall Credits, proportional to exploration results. Additional rewards for those providing significant information on the Secret Realm include perception opportunities at the Chaos Stele.]

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.