Chapter 352: Special Envoy Ju Shisan

Among the four alien races of the Fifth-Rank Hua Shi Star Region, the Rock Armor Clan was not the strongest in combat, but the most resilient.

Their Rock Armor King City, bolstered by generations of development and reinforcement, had become as impregnable as a heavenly chasm.

The base width of its outer walls reached a hundred meters, and its height exceeded a hundred meters as well.

Even a full-force strike from a Sixth-Rank powerhouse could not collapse it.

Of course, such height could not stop Fifth-Rank or Sixth-Rank powerhouses.

But it prevented the enemy's Third-Rank and early Fourth-Rank elites from joining the battle, while the defenders' Third-Rank and early Fourth-Rank elites could form ranks on the walls and concentrate their fire.

Remember, in any faction, Third-Rank and Fourth-Rank cultivators were the core combat forces.

Of course, this assumed the difference in elite Sixth-Rank and Fifth-Rank strength between both sides was not too great.

This was precisely why the Sacred Clan Envoy had chosen the Rock Armor King City as the altar site.

But now, due to the defeat of the Earth Spirit King, the situation had reversed somewhat.

The Star Region Lord Ji Cheng was stationed at Red Carp City, overseeing the large-scale retreat.

The expedition was led by Staff Officer Ji Xiuchuan, but the true decision-maker remained Xu Jin.

Including Xu Jin and others, fifty people had arrived via the Star Vessel.

Aside from Ji Xiuchuan, the sole Sixth-Rank, all others were Fifth-Rank elites, including Xu Jin, Cui Chongguang, Hou Yunzhang, Li Tian, Ning Yuchan, and Ji Hongli.

Not a single Sixth-Rank alien prisoner was brought along.

This was a lesson learned.

Last time, Star Region Lord Ji Cheng had led a large force to attack the Rock Armor King City.

Ji Cheng's force was not weak; even if they couldn't win, they shouldn't have suffered a crushing defeat.

But at the critical moment, the Sacred Clan Envoy's promises had influenced the Sixth-Rank alien warriors accompanying the expedition.

These Sixth-Rank aliens did not openly betray, but each held back, giving only half-effort.

As a result, Ji Cheng's side suffered a disastrous defeat: six human elites died, including another critically important Sixth-Rank.

This also left Star Region Lord Ji Cheng severely wounded and unconscious.

With this composition of forces, capturing the Rock Armor King City had been impossible.

But first, Xu Jin's combat power was extraordinary.

Second, Staff Officer Ji Xiuchuan had calculated the numbers for everyone: the number of Sixth-Rank aliens in the Fifth-Rank Hua Shi Star Region was finite.

According to prior intelligence, the three major alien races of the Fifth-Rank Hua Shi Star Region had thirty-one Sixth-Rank aliens total.

Previously, when Ji Cheng attacked the Rock Armor King City, they eliminated three and severely wounded one; at the Star Gate, Xu Jin killed four; when the Earth Spirit King led his assault, eleven were present, three captured, the rest annihilated!

Theoretically, even if all three alien races combined their elites, the Rock Armor King City could have at most twelve Sixth-Ranks.

Prior intelligence indicated that at least six Sixth-Rank aliens were stationed at the altar, unable to move.

The number needing direct confrontation was at most six Sixth-Ranks and nearly two hundred Fifth-Ranks.

It was worth attempting.

When the Star Vessel reached several hundred li from the Rock Armor King City, Xu Jin saw the altar path the prisoners had described.

In the direction of the Rock Armor King City, a vast, brilliant starlit pathway shot skyward, piercing the heavens.

At the other end, faintly visible was another realm, drawing ever closer to the altar path.

Even within that other realm, human figures could be seen!

In an instant, four words flashed through Xu Jin's mind: Ancestral Land Dimension.

As they drew nearer, the view became clearer.

The altar path was slowly extending toward the faintly visible other realm in the heavens, though its speed was slow.

By naked eye estimation, within one or two days, the altar path would surely connect to the Ancestral Land Dimension.

Moreover, Xu Jin and the others could see brilliant light surging from the Ancestral Land Dimension into the altar path, as if being pulled.

Subtly, this altar's heavenly path seemed to have established a faint connection with the ancestral land's cavernous heaven.

As they drew closer, they could faintly see dense crowds standing within the Ancestral Land Dimension, gazing across at this realm, as if awaiting or welcoming.

But the distance was too great to discern details or sense anything.

At this point, Xu Jin understood: if the connection succeeded, the Sacred Clan from the Ancestral Land Dimension would invade immediately.

At that moment, the human race in the Hua Shi Star Region would have no chance of survival!

"Everyone, we must still strive to gain the upper hand," Xu Jin said solemnly aboard the Star Vessel.

Upon hearing this, Ji Hongli felt the greatest relief.

If the Hua Shi Star Region successfully connected with the Ancestral Land, others would be fine.

With cultivator speed, they could evacuate the entire Hua Shi Star Region in less than half a day.

But her father could only hold the Hua Shi Star Region.

If the connection succeeded, her father would die.

The only path to her father's survival was to destroy the connection to the Ancestral Land Dimension.

Yet Xu Jin's words received no response; all stared grimly at the walls of the Rock Armor King City.

As Staff Officer Ji Xiuchuan had predicted, the Rock Armor King City had few Sixth-Ranks—even fewer than expected, only five.

But on the city walls stood one hundred Fifth-Ranks and two thousand Fourth-Ranks, arranged in dense military formations.

Each ten Fifth-Ranks formed a combat squad; each hundred Fourth-Ranks formed a combat squad.

Each such combat squad equaled the strength of a Sixth-Rank; defending the walls, supported by five Sixth-Ranks hovering above, this small force could not be breached even if they fought to the last man.

"I'll handle the assault. You disrupt their formation. You storm the walls and kill. Ning Yuchan, you lead the charge, yes?" Xu Jin said.

"No problem!"

"Look, though the alien formations are numerous, they lack strategic depth—this gives us the chance to pick them off one by one! Once we breach the walls, we must keep moving—our offensive must never stop!

If we get pinned down in one spot, we'll be targeted by concentrated fire!" Ning Yuchan instructed.

"What about the five Sixth-Ranks?"

"Xu Jin and I will handle them—no problem!" Xu Jin replied.

On the way here, he had already given Ji Hongli and Ning Yuchan more of the inscribed seals.

In Xu Jin's view, breaking the Rock Armor King City's defenses was not hard—the hard part was breaking the altar path, and halting the connection to the Ancestral Land Dimension.

"Break through the first Fifth-Rank formation on the left. You follow in after me. The Sixth-Ranks are mine!"

In the next instant, Xu Jin drew a deep breath. His Sixth-Rank Supreme Golden Scale Armor appeared, the Fish Curtain Golden Bell materialized, and Lei Yi manifested—then he shot forward in an instant.

BOOM!

Fourfold Flow Flash!

As the sonic wave erupted, Xu Jin, like a humanoid tentacle monster, slammed into the nearest Fifth-Rank ten-man formation—killing one instantly.

In the next instant, the Heavenly Gang Thunder Chains exploded outward, slaying four more and critically wounding the remaining five.

Simultaneously, Ning Yuchan, Ji Xiuchuan, and the others surged through the breach onto the walls.

As the five Sixth-Ranks charged toward them, alien formations from all directions also converged on this point. Xu Jin glanced once at the five Sixth-Ranks approaching, then exploded into motion only when they drew near.

Fourfold Flow Flash!

The Fire Ox Sword instantly decapitated a Sixth-Rank, Sixth-Circle alien who had closed to within a hundred meters.

In the instant Ji Xiuchuan and Ning Yuchan leapt skyward, the others surged like a whirlwind toward the nearest Fourth-Rank formation!

Vast waves of divine soul energy rose continuously.

After beheading one Sixth-Rank, Xu Jin focused on support, creating openings only for Ji Xiuchuan and Ning Yuchan.

In moments, two more Sixth-Ranks fell.

Ning Yuchan completely abandoned the final two Sixth-Ranks, leaving them to Xu Jin and Ji Xiuchuan; the moment her Sixth-Rank Supreme Scale Armor appeared, she plunged onto the walls, swinging her massive hammer—aliens flew like ragdolls in her path.

Ning Yuchan was the spearhead; the other forty-plus Fifth-Ranks followed her like mad, pushing forward relentlessly.

In less than half a minute, they had pierced through the alien formations on the walls.

With the formations broken, the threat vanished.

What remained was pursuit and slaughter.

As for the other two alien Sixth-Ranks, there was no doubt.

Because all the powerful Sixth-Ranks were inside the altar path.

They even captured a Sixth-Rank, Fourth-Circle alien, handing him over to Ji Xiuchuan for disposal!

This scene was witnessed by the elite aliens within the altar path and the Sacred Clan Envoy, even by the Sacred Clan Special Envoy standing atop the clouds.

Within the altar path, the one who suffered the most was undoubtedly the Rock Armor King.

This was his king city.

Most of the losses were his elite troops.

Worse, his city was about to be looted by the humans.

"My Lord, perhaps we should—"

The Rock Armor King had barely begun when the Sacred Clan Envoy Ju Shisan cut him off: "The most urgent task now is to accelerate the final fusion between this star region and the Ancestral Land Dimension. Surely you've already felt the primordial energy flowing from the Ancestral Land Dimension?"

Once fusion succeeds, each of you will immediately break through to Seventh-Rank; those who cannot break through will still see massive cultivation boosts and combat gains!

Why bother with these ants?"

"My Lord, but my Rock Armor King City has accumulated centuries of wealth—"

"After fusion succeeds, I grant you two-thirds of the territory seized from the humans!" the Sacred Clan Envoy Ju Shisan roared.

"My Lord, what about us?!" This promise made the Fire Scale King panic.

"This is merely compensation for the Rock Armor King's losses. Once fusion with the Ancestral Land Dimension succeeds and you all break through to Seventh-Rank, countless star regions await your conquest—don't fixate on these trifles," Envoy Ju Shisan said coldly.

"This too," said the Fire-Scale King, laughing heartily, yet carefully lifting his gaze to the ancestral realm hanging high above their heads.

It felt very close now.

The closer they got, the stronger the pressure emanating from it became.

Especially the golden-horned youth standing at the front, gazing down upon them—the so-called envoy—whose cultivation base was clearly identical to theirs, merely at the peak of Sixth Rank Ninth Layer, yet he radiated an indescribable oppression.

It felt exactly like when he was still in Third or Fourth Rank, looked down upon by powerful elders of his own clan at Fifth or Sixth Rank.

This made him even more cautious, even more submissive!

Precisely under Envoy Ju Shisan's suppression, though flames raged everywhere within the Rock-Armor King's city,

the six Sixth Rank elite alien rulers on the Altar Heavenly Road still poured all their strength into activating the Star Pivot Array, accelerating the fusion of this star domain with the ancestral realm!

One and a half days!

At most one and a half days, and the fusion would be complete!

At that very moment, a ripple suddenly surged from the Sacred Ancestor's Golden Token in Ju Shisan's palm, directly entering his mind, forming a voice.

It was their master—the Envoy's—voice.

"Ju Shisan, you've done well! At this pace, the star domain under your command will be the first to fuse with the ancestral realm. When that happens, you will be the primary contributor and rewarded handsomely!"

Above the Altar Heavenly Road, the golden-horned envoy Ju Zhang gazed down at the ever-extending road, his expression filled with anticipation.

Upon hearing the envoy's praise, Ju Shisan immediately knelt prostrate, overwhelmed with gratitude, yet dared not overpromise, and promptly reported the current situation to the envoy.

"So there are elite present-day humans here to stop us? Have all the Sixth Rank elites outside been wiped out?" Upon hearing the report, Envoy Ju Zhang furrowed his brows, a deadly aura flickering in his eyes.

Originally, of the thirty star domains he had targeted for linkage, all but one had begun the process.

But over these past two days, the number of failed linkages had suddenly skyrocketed.

In just a few days, eleven star domains had already failed to link.

Most of the failures were due to interference from present-day humans!

Now, he never expected that even the Huashi Star Domain, on the verge of successful linkage, had seen the arrival of present-day human reinforcements.

His power was still severely restricted; if the ancestral realm failed to link with these star domains for too long, it would sink back into sealing.

Therefore, the first linked star domain was critically important!

Once the first star domain succeeded, it would not only stabilize the ancestral realm completely, but also dramatically boost the power of himself and his subordinates.

It would also allow him to channel more power into the linkage process, accelerating the fusion speed of other star domains.

From the current progress, only the Huashi Star Domain was advancing fastest—within a day or so, it could succeed.

The next fastest star domain would still require eight or nine days.

If human forces interfered during those eight or nine days, it would all be ruined again!

Every day delayed meant greater power loss for the ancestral realm—and greater danger!

"No, I must intervene."

"The second, third, even all subsequent star domains linked to the ancestral realm can be slow—even very slow!"

"But the first star domain must be linked as quickly as possible." The Sacred Clan envoy Ju Zhang made his decision instantly.

"Ju Shisan, I will send another ten percent of the Great World's primordial essence from the ancestral realm to you—it will double your speed of linking to the ancestral realm again."

"I estimate it will take no more than six hours to complete the Huashi Star Domain's linkage!"

"Tell your alien kings: six hours!"

"If the present-day humans dare to storm in!"

"No matter what, hold the line for six hours!"

"As long as you hold for six hours and allow the Huashi Star Domain to fuse with the ancestral realm as soon as possible!"

"In the future, I guarantee each of these six will ascend to Eighth Rank within fifteen years!" The Sacred Clan envoy Ju Zhang offered a tremendous reward!

In the next instant, a seal materialized in Ju Zhang's palm; with a slight activation, torrents of brilliant light surged from the ancestral realm, flooding into the Altar Heavenly Road below.

Almost instantly, the rate of growth and extension of the Altar Heavenly Road accelerated sharply.

Doubled!

At the same moment, Envoy Ju Shisan relayed the envoy's promise downward.

Instantly, the Fire-Scale King, the Rock-Armor King, and the other Sixth Rank alien rulers were electrified!

Eighth Rank!

The envoy guaranteed them all Eighth Rank within fifteen years!

This was unimaginable fortune!

They must hold at all costs!

Outside the Altar Heavenly Road, Cui Chongguang, Li Zhen, Hou Yunzhang, and others had formed combat squads, scouring the Rock-Armor King's city.

Xu Jin, Ning Yuchan, Ji Xiuchuan, and Ji Hongli, who had been observing and studying the Altar Heavenly Road, suddenly paled.

It had accelerated!

The rate of extension and linkage of the Altar Heavenly Road had doubled!

(End of Chapter)