Chapter 548: Chapter548-Storm Clouds Gather

After all, the Styx Sector was a traditional territory of the Starfont Divine Court. For the Crossbridge Empire to expand straight into it was no different from shaking the very foundations of the Divine Court.

At present, even though they were at war with the Divine Court of Reincarnation, that did not prevent the Divine Court from stepping in to "clean house."

The affairs of others were none of the Silent Extinction council’s concern, but if the Luminous Empress truly was there, then they had to go and try their luck.

The Slaughter Angel slowly nodded.

The Saintess of Truth remained silent—tacit consent.

...

The Temple of Apocalypse

The temple lord Lindsey summoned the three great pillars of the sanctuary.

"I will personally go to the Eastern Starfield. For the time being, all affairs within the temple will be decided by the three of you."

Lindsey issued the order.

The three accepted respectfully.

They naturally understood the weight of the news: the reappearance of the Stellar Saint-Emperor.

"Temple Lord... should we request the Apocalyptic Halo?" one powerhouse asked carefully.

The Apocalyptic Halo was the Temple of Apocalypse’s quasi-Origin Artifact, its might unfathomable.

It was easy to foresee that this trip to the Crossbridge Empire would be perilous beyond measure. Even if Temple Lord Lindsey was a quasi-Empyrean Sanctum, he was not invincible.

After a moment of thought, Lindsey shook his head. "No need."

The Crossbridge Empire did indeed possess astonishing combat power, but two Divine Courts and countless factions were watching like tigers—and even the ancient lineages from the Chaotic Extremity might emerge. Whether the Empire could even survive was still an open question. How much of a threat could it truly pose to him?

The real danger, most likely, would come from the hunters traveling alongside him!

...

Starfont Divine Court, the Starlight Temple

Within a grand hall vast as the starry sky, all ministers had assembled.

Among them were the Four Kings of the Border Realms, the seven marquises of the Divine Court, Leonel, the Lord of the Sanctuary of Peace, and the still-injured War-God Nightingale, among others.

Before the Starry Emperor Throne, bathed in endless starlight, the Stellar Saint-Emperor listened to intelligence from all directions—naturally including the crushing defeat in the Styx Sector.

"...The Crossbridge Empire."

The Saint-Emperor’s majestic voice echoed within the soul of every existence in the hall.

Leonel stepped forward and bowed. "Reporting to Your Majesty."

"The Crossbridge Empire rose from the Celestial Light God Realm in the Eastern Starfield. Not long ago, it appeared abruptly and swiftly unified the Eastern Starfield. It then marched on the Styx Sector, seizing it and destroying three clans including Primordial Sword City."

"Its origins are unknown... I suspect an ancient lineage, or even a Pantheon, is backing it."

"If I remember correctly," the Stellar Saint-Emperor asked, his tone unreadable, "the Eastern Starfield worships a deity?"

"Correct. That deity resides in the Celestial Light God Realm. Moreover, the progenitors of the Styx Sector’s three clans were taken in by the Pantheon back then."

"As for whether there is a connection between these matters... I am investigating thoroughly," Leonel answered with care.

A brief silence fell over the hall. Only the omnipresent imperial pressure of the Saint-Emperor remained, suffocating.

"Your Majesty," one of the seven marquises—the Golden Radiance Ancient God—stepped forward.

"News of the Luminous Empress continues to spread. The Star Sea is in upheaval. Should we dispatch troops to the East immediately?"

"How goes the situation on the Endless Forest Sea front?" the Stellar Saint-Emperor asked instead.

One of the Four Kings—the King of the Eastern Sea—stepped forward to report.

"All legions have entered the highest state of readiness. Perhaps because the Divine Court of Reincarnation has also learned the news, the War God of Dark Keep has restrained the scale of conflict in recent days."

"Dark Keep never follows the rules—do not let down your guard," the Star-Orbit God-King warned in a deep voice. He feared the enemy was playing a feint.

"Maintain heightened vigilance along the Endless Forest Sea defense line. If necessary, apply pressure proactively to control the situation."

"As for the Eastern Starfield—there lies the territory of our Divine Court. The Crossbridge Empire must be erased. At the same time, we must guard against other forces and the Divine Court of Reincarnation taking advantage of the chaos to loot and poison the East."

The Stellar Saint-Emperor’s will carried an unquestionable finality.

At that, the Starwatcher God-King immediately stepped forward, dropped to one knee, and bowed.

"Your Majesty, this minister begs for the decree to go east in person!"

"The defeat at Styx has stained the Divine Court’s dignity. I implore Your Majesty to grant me a chance to atone through merit!"

The War-God Nightingale also knelt.

"You understand the importance of that one," the Stellar Saint-Emperor said. "This matter is yours to handle in full. If there is another mishap..."

He did not finish. But the terrifying pressure—seeming to rise from the very origin of the universe—made the Starwatcher God-King lower his head even further.

"This time, the situation in the East is complex. The ancient lineages may also intervene."

"Leonel—you will go as well and assist in coordination. If anyone dares to run rampant in the East..."

"Kill them on sight."

"We receive the decree!" Leonel and the Starwatcher God-King answered in unison.

After a long while, the ministers bowed and withdrew from the Starlight Temple.

The Four Kings of the Border Realms were all pinnacle existences on the Star Sea’s Demigod Throne ranking.

The Seven Marquises were also elite combatants among the quasi-Empyrean Sanctum, wielding immense authority—towering pillars that upheld the Starfont Divine Court.

That the Saint-Emperor dispatched a king in person was proof enough of how seriously he regarded the Eastern affair.

Of course, the core reason remained the same: the immeasurable value of the Luminous Empress.

"Now this is getting lively," the Golden Radiance Ancient God said, looking toward the turbulent chaos above the starry vault, smiling lightly.

The Divine Court’s war had only just begun. The Luminous Empress had reappeared. The ancient lineages of the Chaotic Extremity would surely move at the scent...

The entire Star Sea was about to be swept into a colossal vortex!

"Chaos is also the trend of the age," the Star-Orbit God-King said, his gaze sharp as a blade as it swept across the Starwatcher God-King and War-God Nightingale. "This may be our Divine Court’s chance to advance further. All of you should steel yourselves."

"Hmph!"

The Starwatcher God-King snorted coldly, his figure turning into a streak of light and vanishing.

War-God Nightingale nodded to the others and disappeared right after him.

The Starfont Divine Court’s armies began to mobilize. Instantly, every faction caught the scent of an approaching tempest, and undercurrents surged.

A tide capable of engulfing the Eastern Starfield was slowly taking shape.

...

Styx Sector

The Eternal Apollo Sunblaze and the Star God Merxis led the main legions back and began constructing a defensive system along the outer perimeter of the sector.

In this battle, the titan legion suffered over sixty percent casualties—losses were catastrophic. Fortunately, the Empire’s attribute legions arrived in time to stabilize the line.

At the same time, Eternal Apollo Sunblaze brought back news: Beyoncé’s identity had been exposed, and the factions across the Star Sea were stirring as a result.

Alvin’s expression was unusually grave.

He had vaguely guessed before that Beyoncé, Kaos, and the Stellar Divine Court were connected—but he had not expected the news to spread so fast, nor its impact to run so deep.

He could fully foresee it: a massive storm was about to sweep across the entire Empire.

When that happened, powerhouses ranked on the Star Sea’s Demigod Throne would converge here.

Even he found this level of crisis hard to grasp.

One wrong step, and the Crossbridge Empire—at the height of its momentum—could be reduced to ashes in an instant!

After all, the Empire’s publicly known quasi-Empyrean Sanctum combat power consisted of only two: Eternal Apollo Sunblaze and the Cursefont Star God.

That pressure—combined with his mastery of fate-scrying—felt heavier than anything he had ever borne.

He immediately dispatched Lucio to race back to the Celestial Light God Realm and report everything in full detail.

...

Celestial Light God Realm, Supreme Sanctuary

Aurek was tallying the bountiful returns brought by war.

[Countless enemies slain. Emperor Points +120,000 trillion trillion...]

Defeating a standard combat unit of a Divine Court frontier garrison alone yielded nearly 50,000 trillion trillion Emperor Points.

And in sweeping through the Chaos Ruins, not only had they eliminated the Primordial Giants clan, they had also wiped out large numbers of Undead Legion soldiers from the Divine Court of Reincarnation.

These Divine Court experts, and the Primordial Giants with their boundless vitality, provided points far beyond expectations.

These resources were enough to support him in raising the authority of every attribute legion to a new tier.

[Time Warlock authority upgraded to Level 22. Each day, 26,214,400 Level-22 Time Warlocks can be birthed.]

[Emperor Points required for next upgrade: 8,000 trillion trillion!]

[New skill unlocked: Time Chant.]

[Note: Level-22 Time Warlocks—combat power benchmarked to a Sage Lord, Tier One...]

...