Chapter 343: A Warning for You

"At present the Tairen have retreated, but these two tendrils still coil around the outside of Sanctum Star."

"We now need to swiftly move our main force to Alert Star, so that we can drive the Dead Spirits' exorcism dead zone out of the Eastern Star Region."

"Therefore we cannot stop at merely repelling the Tairen; we must completely drive away these two tendrils to secure at least fifty years of stability for the Peace Star Domain."

Sanctum Star.

While Raymond was meeting with the Secret Sect, Xisi was also formulating the upcoming plan on Sanctum Star.

Although it had been anticipated, hearing Xisi himself declare the need to completely repel the two Tairen tendrils still left the assembled crowd silently gaping.

Because ever since humanity first encountered the Tairen, they have only ever repelled a single Tairen tendril.

Moreover, that tendril was a forced assault on Terra, and among all Tairen tendrils it was the smallest.

Even that weak one was not defeated solely by the Empire; Xisi had to enlist the Red Pirates and the Rebel Forces of Great Bai Shou from years past to overcome it.

Now Xisi intends to repel both at once, which naturally unsettles the crowd.

"We have many warships, but that is only compared to the Empire's past."

"If we compare to the Tairen, even taking any single one, our number of warships is at an absolute disadvantage."

"In this situation, how can we repel two?"

Volgan, the highest‑ranking leader present aside from Xisi, frowned and voiced this harsh reality.

Leonatus also nodded beside him, feeling the matter was overly difficult.

Upon hearing this, Xisi looked at his side's paper data on the projected map, noting that the number of warships was slowly increasing.

At this moment, support still arrives from the Empire's newly launched warships of the Solar Star Region, as well as warships hurriedly built by the Beastmen Legion.

But these ships are almost all expendable light escort vessels; there are few Moon‑class cruisers, the mid‑tier warships, and even fewer light cruisers of the next lower tier.

With such replenishment, even maintaining the current order is difficult, let alone expanding it.

The room fell silent after Volgan finished speaking.

Until Xisi, after a moment of silent gaze at the fleet projection, lifted his head again, prompting everyone to look at him.

Then Xisi, his expression calm, spoke in a very casual tone:

"Concentrate the fleet and strike the ancient vessel."

When Xisi finished, everyone in the command room, even Volgan, froze instantly.

Then they stared seriously at Xisi, trying to see if he was joking.

Only after noticing Xisi's gaze at the projection remained calm did they confirm he wasn't joking and hadn't misheard.

This time even the most loyal Fanluosi couldn't help but furrow his brow, wanting to speak but holding back.

Finally, after Volgan, Leonatus and others exchanged quick glances,

Fanluosi, the loyalist, spoke first:

"Sir, do you mean we disregard casualties and force an assault on the ancient vessel?"

Fanluosi dared not directly oppose, but asked to remind Xisi how severe the casualties would be.

Although the Empire constantly shouts that 'no sacrifice is unacceptable'.

But those words are addressed to the endless ranks of mortal soldiers; you, sir, are about to send warships into a suicidal clash.

That, of course, is another matter.

In response to the surrounding glances, Xisi rose directly from the projected sand table, his face calm:

"Time is not on our side; we must end this two‑front operation immediately."

"Especially as the main Tairen force is about to reach the galaxy."

"If we spare no cost to repel the Tairen and ensure at least fifty years of relative stability in our rear, even if we cannot fully liberate the Eastern Star Region, we can hold Alert Star at minimal expense."

"Bringing valuable development opportunities to the Empire."

Xisi calmly presented his plan; although Volgan and the others found some logic in these reasons, the logic was taken to an extreme.

Because who doesn't know this situation?

Everyone knows the Tairen are about to arrive, and the Empire must find a chance to seize rapid development.

But the problem is that no one believes fifty years of development is more valuable than the fleet at hand.

According to their earlier conception, even if the Empire truly had fifty years to develop, it could not recreate a fleet of Xisi's scale.

After all, in the previous tens of thousands of years of stalemate, the Empire has experienced many periods of fifty to a couple hundred years of peaceful development.

Yet under the Empire's inefficient governance, even a hundred or two hundred years without war, merely reducing rebellions, would be considered a peaceful golden age.

They dare not expect to build a fleet of the current size within a hundred or two hundred years.

Thus, to Volgan and the others, Xisi's decision is not only unprofitable, it could be said to be a loss to his grandmother's house.

Unless…

Volgan and the others, upon reaching this thought, slightly steadied their gaze and, with a hint of incredulous doubt, cautiously looked at Xisi.

Because only if Xisi is confident that within fifty years the Empire's governance can leap several steps!

Making the returns of governance far outweigh the fleet's consumption!

If previously, regarding this point, even when facing Xisi, no one would have any hint of confidence.

Yet Xisi's pre‑departure feat of chasing the Jianqi demon through Subspace and having it entirely detained by the Empire's Interior Ministry's mess proved remarkable.

Everyone, for some reason, did not directly refute Xisi.

Instead, they subconsciously wondered, what if Xisi truly could achieve it?

No further opposition was enough for Xisi.

He looked at the doubtful yet acquiescent crowd and, with a sweeping gesture, marked on the projection the Tairen tendrils lingering around the outer rim of Sanctum Star.

Soon.

An endless sea of ships on Orbit began to move, the Empire's last mobile fleet for now.

Its engine's light almost illuminated the entire void.

Aolake still remained at the fleet's forefront, and commanders such as Fuergan and Liangtusi directly shifted the command center from their original flagship into Aolake.

At this moment, standing on the Bridge amid the surrounding dense fleet, Fuergan and the others' gazes were not on the departing army.

Instead, a group's eyes passed over Xisi, surprised at a few figures that had been teleported into Aolake at an unknown time.

Golden Word Envoy Luojia, Demigod Washituoer, Immortal Makado, Gao Mao Blessing Xisi One-Arm, Divine Emperor's Blessing Magnus.

There were even three demon Original Bodies that had received the Evil God Blessing, and, with Xisi leading, a group representing the galaxy's top individual combat power had unusually gathered together.

But Fuergan couldn't figure out what this was about, while Xisi looked at Makado and asked directly with his eyes.

Makado hunched his back slightly and stepped forward, then pointed toward a distant corner of the void:

"Victor's Doomsday Shadow is right there."

"And the Secret Cult you care about most is also within it."

When Makado finished speaking, not only Xisi, but even the three surrounding demon Original Bodies twitched their mutated bodies sharply at the sound of the word 'Secret Cult'.

Xisi double‑checked that everyone on his side had been summoned, then leapt onto Washituoer's head and pointed at the Doomsday Shadow and Secret Cult that thought they had hidden well.

"Before the battle with Tairen."

"First, give them a warning!"