On the distant sea, a ferocious aura was approaching at an astonishing speed.
The aura was frigid and sharp, carrying with it a sky-blotting killing intent.
The Second King stationed there had returned ahead of schedule.
Moreover, judging from the aura, this wasn’t an ordinary Second King, but an expert of at least level forty-eight.
Xu Wuyi’s eyes narrowed. Just as he was about to move, three figures blocked his path.
Tie Zhan, holding his warhammer, grinned. "Kid, fall back. Leave this to us."
Lu Wenquan pushed up his glasses and formed hand seals. Twelve interference nodes lit up simultaneously, constructing a translucent Energy Barrier above the sea.
Han Mo’s longsword left its sheath, its blade glinting with a cold light. "Go."
Xu Wuyi didn’t hesitate. He turned and retreated.
Using Quicksand Step at full power, his figure transformed into a streak of dark gold light, hurtling toward the shuttle.
Behind him, the Second King’s aura was already closing in on the platform.
Then came the deafening sound of a collision.
Tie Zhan’s warhammer clashed with some kind of sharp weapon, erupting in a dazzling shower of sparks.
Lu Wenquan’s barrier began to tremble violently, but it held firm. Han Mo’s sword light moved like a dragon, carving brilliant arcs across the sea.
Xu Wuyi didn’t look back.
He trusted Han Mo and the other two. Besides, if he stayed, he would only be a burden.
The moment he boarded the shuttle, the hatch closed and the engines roared to life. The shuttle sped off toward the deep-sea base.
Through the viewport, Xu Wuyi saw a blinding flare of energy erupt from the direction of the platform. Three figures clashed fiercely with a grayish-white figure above the sea, each exchange causing space itself to shudder.
But soon, the grayish-white figure began to fall back.
Han Mo’s trio coordinated flawlessly: Tie Zhan on the frontal assault, Lu Wenquan providing defense and to Control the Scene, and Han Mo waiting for the perfect moment to assassinate.
Though the Second King was formidable, he gradually lost ground under the trio’s combined assault.
Thirty seconds later, the grayish-white figure coughed up a mouthful of blood, turned, and fled.
Tie Zhan wanted to give chase but was stopped by Han Mo.
"Objective achieved. Fall back."
The three figures transformed into streaks of light and flew toward the shuttle.
Xu Wuyi breathed a sigh of relief.
The shuttle accelerated, leaving the burning platform further and further behind.
As the sun rose above the horizon, the shuttle had already returned to the airspace of Mountain Stone Base.
Xu Wuyi leaned back in his seat, watching the sky gradually brighten outside the viewport.
’The first battle is over.’
’It went smoothly.’
’But it was also brief.’
He knew there would be many more battles like this. Each one had to be quick and decisive, and each time they had to withdraw before the Feathered People’s Second Kings could react.
It was exhausting, but it was worth it.
Because with every platform they cleared, the pressure on the Federation in the Tianshui Star Realm would lessen.
The Liaoyuan Long Spear felt warm in his hand, as if thirsting for the next battle.
...
「The sea of the Tianshui Star Realm was still vast and boundless on the fifth morning.」
But the undercurrents beneath its surface were already roiling like a boiling cauldron.
In just five days, Xu Wuyi had struck three times.
First, the C-32 crystal ore platform: six hundred Feathered People were annihilated, eight Priests were turned to ash, and the garrisoned Second King was severely wounded and forced to flee.
Second, the "Tidal Current" temporary outpost in the northeastern sea. With the coordinated feint of Zhao Qingwei and Chu Shanhe, Xu Wuyi cut in during the darkest hour before dawn.
The outpost was garrisoned by over four hundred troops, including a team of five Priests skilled in joint spellcasting.
The battle lasted eight minutes. The Flame True Seal blanketed the entire area, turning the outpost into a torch on the sea. Only thirty-odd Feathered People managed to escape into the deep sea by taking advantage of their affinity for water.
The third time was just yesterday evening.
A Feathered People supply fleet of twelve high-speed cruisers was ambushed while sailing through the "Broken Wave Zone."
Xu Wuyi, aboard a stealth shuttle, cut in at low altitude. The flames of Liaoyuan ignited from within the ships. This time, he didn’t even wait for the feinting forces to fully draw their fire.
Relying on the illusionary barrier Lu Wenquan had set up in advance and the chaos created by Tie Zhan’s frontal assault, he ignited the core power compartments of all twelve ships in just six minutes.
A chain of explosions followed, the glare dyeing half the sea and sky red. The two Second King-level experts escorting the fleet were intercepted by the combined efforts of Han Mo and Tie Zhan, forced to watch helplessly as their ships sank in the inferno.
In three battles, the cumulative toll was over fifteen hundred Feathered Warriors killed, twenty-three Priests eliminated, twelve cruisers sunk, and two resource platforms destroyed.
When the battle reports reached the various Federation bases, the initial reaction of every commander was disbelief, followed by elation.
But back at Mountain Stone Base, Xu Wuyi was just silently wiping down his Liaoyuan Long Spear.
The dark gold patterns on the spear’s shaft seemed to flow under the light, as if saturated with blood and Flame.
The consecutive high-intensity battles had left his Spirit weary, but his Power of Heart Image was growing purer, tempered by real combat.
When Han Mo pushed the door open, he saw Xu Wuyi’s silhouette, sitting quietly and regulating his breath.
The young Martial Artist’s eyes were closed, his breathing steady and deep, but a faint, scorching aura around him made the room’s temperature several degrees warmer than the hallway.
"How are you feeling?" Han Mo asked.
Xu Wuyi opened his eyes, the phantom of a Flame flickering for an instant in his dark gold pupils before vanishing.
"I’m fine," he said. "The Power of Heart Image was heavily drained, but I can recover."
"These consecutive battles are too intense." Han Mo sat down across from him, his expression serious. "The Feathered People aren’t idiots. They’re definitely adjusting their strategy. We might not get such easy opportunities from now on."
Xu Wuyi nodded.
Of course he knew.
He had struck three times, each attack faster and more ruthless than the last, precisely because he sensed this "window of opportunity" was closing.
"News just came from military headquarters." Han Mo pulled up an encrypted briefing. "There’s abnormal troop movement in the three main Feathered People fortresses: ’Raging Waves,’ ’Furious Tides,’ and ’Deep Vortex.’"
"Their outer patrols and resource-gathering platforms are pulling back on a large scale, tightening their defensive lines. It seems you’ve really hurt them."
"Tightening their defensive lines..." Xu Wuyi mulled over the words. "Are they trying to concentrate their forces, dig in, and wait for reinforcements?"
"Or they’re preparing for a bigger move." Han Mo gazed out at the gloomy sea. "Across the fifteen Feathered People fortresses, there are more than twenty permanently stationed Second King-level experts."
"Before, they were garrisoned separately, which gave us the chance to defeat them one by one. If they really pull back completely and concentrate their power into a single fist..."
He didn’t finish, but the implication was clear.
No matter how strong Xu Wuyi was, he couldn’t possibly assault a complete fortress head-on—one garrisoned by multiple Second King-level experts and several thousand troops.
"So what do we do?" Xu Wuyi asked.
"We wait," Han Mo said. "Wait for new orders from command."
"Also, there’s a cross-base virtual strategy meeting this afternoon. All Quasi-Grandmasters in the Tianshui Star Realm will be attending. Although you’re not going, the outcome of the meeting will determine our next course of action."
Xu Wuyi acknowledged him with a sound and closed his eyes again.
He needed to rest.
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