Chapter 164: Golden Corn, Black Gold Corn

A dead silence lay before the Iron Guard Gate.

Even as the three Norn Envoys all fell to the ground, together with the supporting dozen‑plus brain‑bug tyrants and a multitude of warrior bugs, the attacking side, by spreading the damage across their numbers, surprisingly suffered not a single casualty.

Not only was there dead silence before the Iron Guard Gate, but even the whole Sanctuary Star, which had been bustling, saw all the Tairen creatures halt their actions at the same moment.

Then, whether ground Tairen war beasts or the bio‑ships overhead, all gazes were fixed rigidly on the Iron Guard Fortress Gate.

Logically, Tairen should not have emotions, yet even the most ordinary mortal soldier now seemed to sense, behind countless Tairen, an inexplicable presence displaying an uncontainable pent‑up fury!

That pent‑up fury felt like… like…

The crowd thought of that description, but after chewing on it for a long time they could not voice it, only gritting their teeth and feeling it in their hearts.

It's like you've been holed up developing and finally create gunpowder weapons, only to step outside and see the other side damn—rolling out a tank!

It's a completely crushed, unreasonable pent‑up fury.

After the Tairen stared fixedly for a while, this fury, accompanied by an extremely rare collective Tairen screech, surged recklessly toward the Iron Guard Fortress.

Even the Tairen bio‑ships that had been chasing the 'Sunblade Fleet' suddenly abandoned their instinctual pursuit of biomass and threw themselves wholeheartedly at the Sanctuary Star.

But before they could show despair at this assault, the people of the Sanctuary Star stared blankly for a moment, their expressions inexplicably strange.

It is…

Got angry in a hurry?!

Then the crowd, having thought of that, fixed their gazes equally on the Black Gold Forbidden Army that had just finished the battle.

After all, as the debut battle of this brand‑new Forbidden Army, they managed to make the Tairen lose their temper in the very first fight.

If this spreads, outsiders will look at the rumor with a stare that says they're looking at a fool.

Even the natives of the Sanctuary Star find it exaggerated.

After all, what does it mean for the Empire to suddenly field a Forbidden Army, and for that army to make the Tairen 'evolve' emotions?!

Even the people of the Sanctuary Star, who witnessed the whole process with their own eyes, had the Forbidden Army Marshal Tu Lazhen as a witness.

Yet after pondering that sentence, they still showed the thought that perhaps they had just hallucinated.

Then they carefully looked up again, seeing the reassembled five hundred Black Gold Forbidden Army, and at their feet the 'roadside one' Norn Envoy that had just brought infinite terror.

They could only repeat the earlier sequence: shock, disbelief, verification, shock…

Only the 101s remained on the scene, still standing calmly in place, and suddenly gave a respectful salute toward the empty ground that had just been teleported in.

"Hm?"

"Forbidden Army?"

"Salute?"

"Divine Emperor has arrived?!!!"

The onlookers' gazes widened instantly, and even Tu Lazhen felt a subconscious tremor in his heart.

Then everyone glanced around at once, only to realize that after everyone's attention had been drawn to the Black Gold Forbidden Army…

In the spot just now, a mortal clad in Gilded Silver Armor was still standing.

And at this moment, the object of the Forbidden Army's salute was that mortal.

The crowd let out a huge sigh of relief:

"Good, it's not the Divine Emperor."

The crowd suddenly filled with terror:

"Wait, this Forbidden Army doesn't belong to the Divine Emperor?!"

Those who understood the implication of this news felt a tension in their bodies far greater than when facing the Norn Envoys.

Everyone instantly straightened up; not only the mortal, Astat, but even the most fervent Battle Nun only gritted their teeth and pulled the trigger, daring not to launch the first attack.

It's not that there are no Battle Nuns completely fearless, but when they just harbored a hint of hostility toward Xisi…

The five hundred pairs of eyes that had just slashed the Norn Envoy instantly glared.

Earlier, when Xisi had just burst out of Subspace, the Black Watch's gaze was not enough to kill.

After all, how can a gaze kill?

But now, the Black Gold Forbidden Army, awakened with amplified psychic power, when five hundred gazes converge, this time…

In the true sense, they can scare many mortals to death with just their gaze!

The atmosphere on the scene felt off, until Tu Lazhen, who had also witnessed the entire process with an especially vivid expression, finally reacted and turned his gaze toward Xisi's back.

Likewise, when all attention turned toward him, Xisi also looked behind himself.

Liang Tusi, with his few Kasha Jin guards, stood in place as Xisi cast his gaze.

Seeing the 'mortal' before him, not much taller than himself, and the five hundred Black Gold Forbidden Army that had just slashed the Norn Envoy behind him, Liang Tusi…

…knelt down on one knee of his own accord!

"Although I do not yet understand you, the repeated letters from Lord Terra and Lord Kiriman both attest to your attitude toward the Empire."

"Since you are not an enemy, please, sir, accept my gratitude on behalf of all humanity of the Sun Sector and the Peace Sector for your long‑distance aid."

Liang Tusi's salute was decisive; before any extremely nervous bastard could accidentally fire, regardless of whether Xisi, leading the Great Baishou Legion, was loyal or treacherous, he first declared Xisi to be 'loyal'!

After all, looking at the five hundred 101s behind Xisi, and the fleet above that replaced the bio‑ship, once again blocking the sunlight.

Whoever dares to call Xisi 'treacherous' now, Liang Tusi will be the first to jump up and tear that person's mouth apart!

As Liang Tusi saluted, mortal by mortal began to follow suit, while another person to make a statement was Tu Lazhen.

Tu Lazhen also approached Xisi, silently glancing at his own Golden Forbidden Army and the Black Gold Forbidden Army Xisi brought, and after roughly gauging the power gap without needing a comparison…

Although Tu Lazhen did not kneel on one knee, he still bowed his head before Xisi in public.

And under the gaze of all, he respectfully called him 'Sir'.

This scene's impact was even more shocking than Liang Tusi's kneeling, for the flowing Sun Lord and the iron‑clad Forbidden Army Marshal.

Across the entire galaxy, those whom Tu Lazhen can call 'Sir' are truly so few you could count them on one hand.

And now, when Tula Zhen addressed him with this "Lord," it not only formally announced Xisi as one of the Human Empire's top legendary leaders.

It also meant that Xisi could, like Kiriman and Lai'ang Zhuangsen, wield unconditional authority over the vast majority of the Empire's forces.

So after Tula Zhen's "Lord," there was no longer any defense; the Sanctum Star army offered Xisi infinite reverence.

"Tell me the current battle situation."

Xisi silently endured this immense respect.

After all, that is how the Empire works; although the Divine Emperor opposes it, class rule is one of the Empire's foundations.

Leon Tus let out a huge sigh of relief deep inside, rose quickly, and with bright eyes that left Xisi a little startled, anxiously said:

"Lord, we must immediately return to defend Terra."

"The third Terran tentacle has already reached Pluto!"

The cold wind swept over the dead, silent earth; Xisi felt the bleakness brush his body, and his previously stern face suddenly froze.

Then, as he inhaled deeply, his eyes widening, he murmured in confusion:

"What does …"

"The third tentacle?!"