Chapter 405: Compensating Ten Star Systems Isn't Too Much, Right?

Raya Council Headquarters.

Located within a twin-star system.

This is the heart of the Council, its spatial anchor denser than a neutron star, and even a supernova cannot shift it a fraction.

Countless gleaming starships stream through the channels, representing the prosperity of hundreds of Level‑6 civilizations.

Until a massive warship descended.

There was no alarm.

Or rather, the alarm system hadn't time to sound before higher‑level protocols erased it.

The previously stable twin-star light suddenly dimmed, and the entire system's spatial structure was forcibly pried open by an invisible giant hand.

A colossal ship emanating bizarre nebular fluctuations shattered physical laws and abruptly appeared over the Council planet's orbit.

Pioneer.

It had no shields up, merely hovering there, yet it imposed an immense mental pressure.

Council Central Command Center.

The massive holographic star map instantly turned into a blinding scarlet.

"Spatial parameters locked!"

"Dimensional engine won't start… we are being suppressed by dimensional reduction!"

"All communication channels forcibly seized!"

The operators hadn't even risen from their seats before the consoles in front of them went completely black, then a red emblem—Yanhuang—flashed.

Panic spread. This wasn't merely an invasion; it was a blatant show of force and humiliation.

The energy projection on the main throne flickered violently; that was Chairman Xun Tian.

His physical body lay tens of thousands of light‑years away, yet the mental link now suffered an unstable lag.

He stared at the screen at the warship capable of crushing an entire defense fleet.

What is Qin Hao planning?

To slaughter the Council?

Before he could issue a command, every large screen in the command hall—and even the personal retinal terminals of all beings present—simultaneously forced a visual to pop up.

Qin Hao sat in the bridge's command chair, idly twirling a silver metal sphere in his hand.

He didn't look at the camera, just lowered his head to stare at the object.

"Qin Hao!"

Xun Tian's voice blared over the public channel, tinged with obvious agitation,

"Forcefully breaching the Council's no‑fly zone, crippling central defenses—are you declaring war on all of Laniya Kaia?"

In the visual, Qin Hao finally lifted his head.

His face bore no expression, neither anger nor mockery. The blandness was like watching a horde of corpses, or a flock of slaughtered livestock.

"Declare war?"

Qin Hao's voice was low, yet it resonated clearly through everyone's auditory nerves,

"You think you're worthy?"

Three words.

The entire Command Center fell into dead silence.

Xun Tian's energy projection froze.

"I'm here to deliver something," Qin Hao flicked his finger.

The next second, countless massive data streams violently surged into the Council's database, forced to loop across all channels.

The visual jittered; it was the raw perspective of memory extraction.

A dark sealed room.

That massive, nauseating shadow.

"As long as it's done cleanly, who'll know it was us?"

"United Raiders, split the technology after the deed…"

It was the Shadow Sovereign. Even reduced to ash, the attending councilors could recognize that poisonous voice.

The scene then shifted.

A star‑filled battlefield, tens of millions of warship wrecks bearing skull insignia littered the channel.

On Pioneer's cold metal deck, the once‑arrogant three‑eyed giant leader now rolled his eyes, drool dripping from his mouth, his brain structure reduced to a mush by brutal psychic soul‑searching.

The evidence chain closed.

No room for defense, not even the possibility of forgery—because that psychic memory even contained the quantum key fluctuations from the Shadow Sovereign's transfer.

A gasp.

The councilors who had been accusing Qin Hao of recklessness fell silent. All gazes, like knives, pierced the cloaked creature in the corner.

The representative of the Dark Star Civilization.

He now only wished to vanish on the spot, but he couldn't move; Qin Hao's warship had locked all spatial transports in this sector.

"Explain?"

Qin Hao's voice rang out again.

Xun Tian felt he was about to explode with fury.

It wasn't just anger, but a helplessness from being sabotaged by a pig‑team mate.

At this critical moment, just as the Yanhuang Civilization had unveiled the dimensional engine—a massive weapon—the Shadow Sovereign attempted a sneak attack?

Is it that they hate a long life, or that they think the Council's death isn't fast enough?

This is... this is the Shadow Venerable's personal action!

The Dark Star Representative finally couldn't bear that kind of gaze that wanted to crush him, and screamed.

The Dark Star Civilization knows nothing about this! We... we announce stripping him of all his duties! Hand him over to the Council for disposal! Kill or dismember him as you wish!

This cutting speed is so fast it makes one's hair stand on end.

Heavenly Patrol glanced at Qin Hao on the screen; the other remained expressionless, seemingly not surprised.

Lord Qin Hao.

Heavenly Patrol adjusted his own energy fluctuations, and his tone softened.

This matter is due to the Council's inadequate supervision. The Shadow Venerable betrayed the covenant, an unforgivable sin. I, representing the Council, decree his exile to the 'Extinction Black Hole', never to return.

Exiling him to the Extinction Black Hole is equivalent to sentencing him to a slow death.

This penalty cannot be considered not heavy.

After Heavenly Patrol finished speaking, he stared intently at Qin Hao's face, trying to see a hint of satisfaction or ease on that young face.

But there was none.

Qin Hao merely shifted his posture, leaning back in the chair, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest.

Tap, tap, tap.

The rhythmic tapping sound, broadcast over all channels, struck everyone's hearts.

Exile?

Qin Hao finally spoke, his tone somewhat listless.

"Killing a chicken to scare the monkeys, this trick is too old-fashioned. If I hadn't come, how long would you pretend to be deaf and dumb?"

Heavenly Patrol was at a loss for words.

"The death penalty can be waived, but I also won't make this trip for nothing."

Qin Hao's gaze passed through the screen and fell on those radical faction legislators. These were the civilization representatives whose shadows had appeared in the earlier conspiracy footage.

Anyone swept by his gaze felt a chill down their spine, as if their soul had been locked onto by a higher-dimensional being.

"The Yanhuang Civilization's mental loss, the fleet's depreciation costs, and my appearance fee."

Qin Hao raised a finger.

"Any civilization that participated in this plan, including the Dark Star Civilization."

"Each, compensate ten galaxies."

"Furthermore, over the next thousand years, I will take ten percent of all the rare minerals you mine."

As his words fell, only heavy breathing remained in the Command Center.

Ten galaxies!

Not star systems, but galaxies!

A standard galaxy contains hundreds of billions of stars, possessing vast resources and living space. Even for a sixth-level civilization, ceding ten galaxies would hurt the muscles and bones, even amount to cutting flesh to draw blood!

Moreover, that thousand-year mineral levy is nothing short of treating them as the Yanhuang Civilization's miners!

"This is extortion!"

A radical faction legislator couldn't help but jump up, his civilization neighboring the Dark Star Civilization, shouting, "Qin Hao! Don't bully us too much! We're just..."

Pop.

There were no signs.

That legislator's head exploded like a rotten watermelon, splattering red and white matter all over the nearby representative.

The Command Center instantly erupted, with screams rising and falling.

"I don't like it when someone interrupts me while I'm speaking."

On the screen, Qin Hao didn't even raise a hand; he merely moved his gaze slightly.

That unknown-level precise strike directly bypassed the Council Hall's defensive field, taking effect inside the opponent's skull.

"Who else thinks the price is unfair?"

Qin Hao asked.