Chapter 1051: Star‑Annihilating Fleet

Eight Fu Kong Chengs gathered in the same sky, a first in history!

The scene was spectacular.

All the residents of Nuosiruier rushed onto the streets at that moment, looking up at the sky. Even though everyone was still unclear about the exact reason, they could guess that something that would shake the Empire had occurred, and it was very likely not good news.

Evil‑god followers rebelling?

Empire civil war?

Or the Abyss invading the Prime Material Plane?

All sorts of terrifying guesses flashed through people's minds, panic spread through the crowd, and some began to hurriedly run home, preparing to pack belongings and call family to flee Nuosiruier.

The imperial capital instantly fell into chaos.

Suddenly, a grand aura descended from the high sky; above the eight Fu Kong Chengs, a wide void passage opened, and a graceful figure flew out. Every person within a few hundred miles, regardless of distance, could see their form clearly and feel their aura.

The Holy Avatar of the God of Magic VijesCui!

Divine protection!

Most of Nuosiruier's residents are followers of the God of Magic; millions instantly calmed, worshipping the divine avatar in the sky and praising loudly.

Yet before people could fully settle, another vast divine power descended.

In the south of the city, high above, dozens of miles from the God of Magic, a towering figure clad in silver armor and wielding a silver greatsword appeared. Their face was that of a dignified middle‑aged man, surrounded by holy radiance that made direct gaze impossible.

The God of Justice and Order Ti Rui Er!

Within Nuosiruier's Temple of Justice, the holy swordmasters shouted Ti Rui Er's revered name and loudly recited his teachings.

At that moment, an aura brimming with boundless vitality emerged, covering Nuosiruier's sky. People saw a middle‑aged woman clad in a solemn silk‑shielded white robe, a belt embroidered with various natural patterns at her waist, and a jade‑green wooden staff in her hand.

Her appearance was ordinary, with a head of white hair, a kindly, benevolent smile that reminded people of their own mothers.

Earth Mother Goddess Gai Ya!

The holy avatars of the Empire's three gods descended together to the mortal world.

Nuosiruier's residents, calmed by the God of Magic, had just settled, but now seeing the Empire's three gods descend on the same day, they were stunned again.

Could the Abyss be invading the Prime Material Plane?

But that is not the end.

After the three Empire gods descended, several more divine auras appeared over Nuosiruier: Longhaired Lady Freya, the lake fairy Wei Wei An, the God of Trade and Wealth Wo Jin, the God of Hunting Wu Lei Er Si, the God of Rangers Mei Kai Li, and so on.

There were also war god Ao Deng, whose followers mostly lie beyond the Empire, the Sun God Ge Weng, the God of Orcs and Strength Ge Luo Si, and the North‑Wind God Yu Li Er.

Although they did not send down avatars, only casting their gazes from the heavens or outer planes, the attention of so many deities was enough to shake the entire Prime Material Plane.

Such a massive disturbance attracted even more divine attention.

Several evil gods peered at Nuosiruier from their divine realms: Black Emperor Hei Huangdi Ban Er Kou, the Deceiver Luo Xi, Spider Queen Ros, the Mother of Evil Dragons Ti Ya Xi Si, and Blood God Ha Ka Si Nu. From the distant bottomless Abyss, many Demon Lords cast their gazes.

More weaker deities were mixed among them.

The sky above Nuosiruier was filled with divine aura.

Good gods, evil gods, Demon Lords!

At that moment, it seemed as if all the deities of Ai Lun E Si were watching this mortal city, and millions of imperial capital citizens shivered.

People's speculation rose from Abyss invasion to a divine war!

Eight Fu Kong Chengs leapt into the sky above Nuosiruier; the imminent great war was also startled by the gods aloft.

They centered on the Temple of Truth, forming two camps that faced each other across the void.

The Empire's legislators had fled the council hall, watching the sky from the plaza outside the Temple of Truth. Some legislators dared not stay, escaping Fu Bei Deng Cheng Bao, and also spread the events of the council hall, and the news quickly spread throughout the city.

The Consul was elected by the Empire's council as lifelong Consul!

The Consul will dissolve the Supreme Council!

Duke GreyEagle and several Holy Soul Wizards staunchly opposed, intending to kill the Consul, and therefore moved the floating city to Nuosiruier!

This is an Empire civil war!

On the plaza, the legendary wizard legislators who appeared with the floating city had already teleported away.

The remaining Empire legislators—including corps commanders, deputy commanders, provincial governors, mayors, noble lords—many also wanted to return to their own forces, but the Consul ordered before departing that no Empire legislator may leave Nuosiruier today, nor take part in the Supreme Council's civil war!

The Rike Palace Guard mobilized in full, having surrounded the entire Fu Bei Deng Cheng Bao.

Teleportation gates opened around the Temple of Truth, He Palace, and Rike Palace, and squads of Extreme Warriors in golden armor rushed out. They wore golden masks, one hand wielding a soul gun, the other a war hammer, and a large silver‑blue cloak draped behind them.

These Extreme Warriors radiated lightning power, their average strength nearing legendary!

The most terrifying aspect was their numbers.

Hundreds of teleportation gates spewed out troops; the number quickly exceeded ten thousand, easily seizing Fu Bei Deng Cheng Bao.

The legion's leader comprised over a hundred towering warriors clad in heavy armor.

"Extreme Warrior?"

Some Empire legislators' faces changed slightly, whispering.

Then they shook their heads again; although these 2.5‑meter‑tall beings resembled Extreme Warriors, there were obvious differences.

Their powered armor was painted bright yellow, starkly different from the Extreme Warriors' blue scheme, and the armor was heavier, the size a bit larger. The chest emblem depicted a black iron fist; the cloak was white; their weapons were a Bolt Gun and a heavy hammer, and some also carried a large shield.

This is a legion on par with Extreme Warriors!

They seemed more adept at defense.

Bang bang bang…

Heavy footsteps made the ground tremble; these bright‑yellow, towering figures spread around the Temple of Truth plaza. Wherever they stood, each was like a steel fortress, indestructible, their imposing aura suffocating.

A noticeably larger, nearly three‑meter‑tall being stepped onto the steps before the plaza.

From beneath his helmet came a deep voice: "'Empire's Fist' by order of the Consul, guard the Temple of Truth; all legislators stay put and do not move until the battle ends."

Empire's Fist!

Is the Consul's secretly created new legion?

The Empire legislators immediately snuffed out the thought of leaving.

"Consul?"

They looked at the sky, thinking the Consul should have entered the Weizelan Fu Kong Cheng by now, but with the gods descending, would they still fight?

A ripple suddenly spread across the distant horizon.

Even from afar, the Empire legislators could see the sky warped, as if something were leaping out of the void. Millions of Nuosiruier residents also witnessed the celestial anomaly, and even the gods' gazes were drawn to it.

Boom!

Boom, boom, boom…

A thunderous roar rang across heaven and earth; under countless gazes, the void opened a massive passage dozens of meters in diameter, and a silver‑gray steel fortress leapt out, instantly shifting from extreme motion to utter stillness, hovering high above.

Everyone froze, the same thought forming in their minds:

"Is this a Fu Kong Cheng?"

But they couldn't be sure; they had never seen a Fu Kong Cheng like this, its shape completely different from the other eight.

It was roughly triangular, like a dagger magnified billions of times, yet also like a massive metal ship; overall flat, but even the thinnest edge of the dagger was hundreds of meters thick, comparable to a skyscraper dozens of stories high.

From the edge toward the center it thickened, with seven decks stacked ever higher.

The entire fortress was forged of metal; every armor plate, every turret, every component was cast and then assembled. Gaps visible on the sides and decks revealed an incomparably intricate interior, each part meticulously designed, exuding a strange yet awe‑inspiring architectural style.

The people of Ai Lun E Si did not understand what sci‑fi industrial aesthetics were, but their reaction was unanimous.

It was sheer awe!

Even on first sight, everyone could guess it was a powerful weapon, a super‑weapon forged for slaughter, brimming with terrifying might.

Some erudite onlookers were stunned into open‑mouthed silence, unable to close their jaws for a long time.

The steel fortress was enormous!

Its length from tip to tail was only slightly shorter than the Naiser Fu Kong Cheng; although its volume was less, being entirely metal made its weight far exceed that of a Fu Kong Cheng, unimaginably massive, and its construction cost a staggering astronomical figure!

And this was merely a fortress.

Along with it leapt eight similarly shaped steel fortresses, much smaller, each only a third as long. Every steel fortress radiated massive energy fluctuations, no less than a Fu Kong Cheng.

One large and eight small, the nine steel fortresses lined up in the sky like a celestial fleet.

No, this is a fleet!

The mechanics of the Mechanical Guild went berserk; in the plaza before the Temple of Truth, the guild's chief vice president Beili Saliu and several vice presidents, gazing at the massive fortress in the sky, turned wildly fervent, their bodies trembling with excitement.

With their mechanical knowledge and insight, they could discern more than others.

This is the pinnacle of mechanical creation!

Magic and machinery combined, a steel fortress built of billions of pounds of metal, powered by an Iola Core; even the most fanatical mechanic had never imagined such a design, not even in dreams.

Yet someone had already achieved it, now displayed before them.

Flaniss Floating City.

Tim*Kenan stood on the top floor of his high tower, gazing at nine Star Destroyers dozens of li away, his expression extremely solemn, eyes full of apprehension. Projections of Kai Ers Tong, KangJieladeGreatSage and PurpleFlameDuke hovered beside him, and Ma Youfu also stood in front.

"Those are all his Fu Kong Cheng?" Kai Ers Tong said, his face full of disbelief.

PurpleFlameDuke remained silent.

KangJieladeGreatSage's eyes flickered slightly.

As the greatest alchemist in Empire history, those nine steel fortresses on the horizon were, in his eyes, more than Fu Kong Chengs—they were perfect masterpieces. Their exterior designs, lines, layouts, the revealed rune sigils, artistic style, all enthralled the GrandSage, who longed to explore their interiors.

The more beautiful a magical item, the more powerful it often is!

KangJieladeGreatSage glanced once, sensed the great danger, and sighed, "No wonder Lei En is confident enough to challenge the Supreme Council…"

Ma Youfu stared dumbfounded, "Are all nine Fu Kong Chengs?"

"Of course," KangJieladeGreatSage replied. "But I guess Lei En wouldn't call these steel fortresses Fu Kong Cheng. They resemble the floating warships that appeared in a previous era, the precursors to Fu Kong Cheng."

"Where did he get so many Iola Cores?" Ma Youfu still couldn't believe it, his tone unable to hide his envy.

"Hmph!"

Tim*Kenan snorted coldly, "He controls the Sub‑Continent Trade Company, monopolizes the Black Soul elixir business, owns the mines on the Saen Plateau, rules half of the New Continent, earning annually wealth and resources worth at least hundreds of millions of Gold Shields, so how could he lack Iola Cores?"

"But Lei En built so many magical torchlight sigils on the New Continent..." Ma Youfu couldn't help shaking his head repeatedly, unable to imagine how much money Lei En actually had.

Tim*Kenan fell silent.

Even he had to admit that Lei En's governance, management, and money‑making ability were unparalleled in history.

Other Holy Soul Wizards, to construct a Fu Kong Cheng, had to accumulate for decades or even centuries, but Lei En seemed to wholesale Iola Cores, producing them directly!

Kai Ers Tong said, "I long guessed he was building a Fu Kong Cheng; there are rumors on the plateau as well."

"And then?"

Tim*Kenan pressed, assuming Kai Ers Tong had information he himself didn't know.

"It's my first time seeing his Fu Kong Cheng," Kai Ers Tong replied.

In fact, when he regarded Lei En as an enemy over a decade ago, he dispatched infiltrators to sneak into Lei En's territory, yet none succeeded; once within Lei En's sphere, no matter how good the disguise or how deep the concealment, they vanished within three days.

Later Lei En's domain expanded: the Earl of Glamorgan's lands, the Augustus Principality, Gotham City, the Kalanos of the Saen Plateau, and so on.

Kai Ers Tong thought, the larger the domain, the harder to guard; he could always manage to plant a few spies.

All these years he never gave up sending people.

But invariably, Lei En's territory and sphere of influence were like an airtight fortress—water could not splash in, a needle could not pierce, forever an unknown blind spot, yielding no effective information.

The year before last, a great battle broke out at Albert Bay on the New Continent; rumors said Lei En participated, and his Fu Kong Cheng was deployed.

Kai Ers Tong sent men to Albert Bay to investigate, only to find that no one had actually seen any Fu Kong Cheng; there was a massive beam of light coming from the distant sky, presumably a spell attack launched by a Fu Kong Cheng, confirming Lei En's possession of one.

There was no further useful information.

Now it appears that the beam attack came from those steel fortresses, certainly a Ten-ring Spell!

"Teacher."

Ma Youfu's face showed hesitation, "If these steel fortresses are all floating cities, then Lei En alone would possess nine floating cities, plus another three, with Naiser Floating City not participating, we would have to face a siege by twelve floating cities."

"Are you scared?" Tim*Kenan was somewhat displeased.

"Yes." Ma Youfu said calmly, "Our strength gap is too great; if we lose and Flaniss Floating City is breached, many will die because of it."

Tim*Kenan slowly shook his head, "We have no retreat."

"But …"

Ma Youfu's attempt to continue persuading was cut off; Tim*Kenan shouted, "There is no 'but'. Flaniss and Baye's current strength and status are built on my Balance Theory; our mission is to maintain the Empire's structural balance and uphold the balance of all things."

"If the Empire becomes his alone, what balance can there be?"

"Even the Empire can't be balanced, let alone talk recklessly about the balance of all things!"

As he spoke further, Tim*Kenan's expression grew increasingly solemn and resolute, with no trace of wavering.

Ma Youfu naturally understood Flaniss's balancing philosophy, having pursued it for years, but he thought some flexibility was needed; when necessary one could bow to reality, not sacrificing the future of himself and the floating cities, as long as strength is preserved, there will always be a chance to rise again.

He understood the teacher's stubborn character.

Ma Youfu inwardly sighed; denying the Balance Theory meant denying the teacher's life's achievements, and at that moment he could not accept it.

"What's the matter with twelve floating cities?" Tim*Kenan, staying composed, said gravely, "His small floating cities lack power and are hard to breach our floating city barriers; if we concentrate on attacking the largest floating city, we may still have a chance in battle."

"As long as the barrier remains unbroken, we stand on invincible ground!"

"The worst case is a tie."

Tim*Kenan, full of confidence, looked at the three projections before him and asked, "GrandSage, Hong Shi, PurpleFlameDuke, what do you think?"

"Do your best."

GrandSage, not very confident, reminded, "GreyEagle, try to limit the spell's damage radius, do not affect Nuosiruier."

"Fine, but I can't guarantee it," Tim*Kenan replied expressionlessly.

Kerston shouted harshly, "Regardless of the outcome, this time I will settle life and death with Ryan Augustus!"

PurpleFlameDuke Magna nodded, saying nothing.

"Then let's begin."

Tim*Kenan's mind shifted, channeling the Iola Core's energy in a burst; a dazzling light blossomed atop the tower tip like a small sun, ready to unleash the Ten-ring Spell—Ultimate Arcane Fireball!

Flaniss's Ultimate Arcane Fireball has moderate power among Ten-ring Spells, but its casting speed is the fastest and its frequency the highest.

Arcane brilliance painted the sky purple.

Millions of Imperial Capital residents turned pale; Flaniss Floating City was truly battling above the city, disregarding the lives of the citizens below.

ParrasFloatingCity, Ein Floating City and Tris Floating City also emitted terrifying energy fluctuations.

"Stop."

The God of Magic's voice rang in everyone's mind; the four floating cities' lights went out, and the spells ceased instantly. Just as people thought the God of Magic would stop this civil war, they heard Him say, "Do not fight above Nuosiruier, lest you harm the Empire's citizens."

"Go to the West Mountain Range; there will be your battlefield."

VejesCui's Holy Sage incarnation lightly raised a hand.

In the west of Nuosiruier, the West Mountain Range area, hunters, farmers, and hikers living in the mountains were all teleported away, turning thousands of square miles into a no‑man's land.

The Holy Soul Wizards looked stunned.

Tim*Kenan saluted the goddess incarnation, "Yes, ma'am."

The four floating cities immediately flew west, leaving the sky above Fubeiden Castle, and quickly entered the West Mountain area dozens of li away.

Strangely, the Weizelan, Erasdor and Agralon floating cities did not follow.

They remained in place.

Everyone stared at the stationary floating cities, still guessing the cause, when the nine silver‑gray steel fortresses instantly leapt into the void and vanished.

Boom—…

A deafening blast.

The next second, the nine steel fortresses appeared above the West Mountain area, their formation unchanged, moving as one.

Inside the largest steel fortress, on the unseen bridge, Lei En, seated in the captain's chair, ordered:

"Attack!"

The nine Star Destroyers' main cannons began charging in sync.

At this moment, the four floating cities had just entered the West Mountain area; the sides were over forty li apart, far beyond the range of the Ten-ring Spell.

Bang bang bang bang…

The nine Star Destroyers' decks and sides opened their hatches, and a round of Thunder Spear Missiles was launched. An Empire‑class Star Destroyer can launch two hundred missiles per volley, with enough ammo for ten volleys; the Victory‑class can launch five hundred, enough for twenty volleys.

Two thousand one hundred Thunder Spear Missiles trailed long lightning tails, soaring across the sky like bolts of lightning, heading for ParrasFloatingCity.

Five seconds later, the second wave of Thunder Spear Missiles followed.

The fleet launched three waves of missiles.

At this point, ParrasFloatingCity finally entered its spell range, and a massive hundred‑meter‑high phantom silhouette appeared over the floating city.

It was a towering human male, shoulders very broad, wearing black half‑armor, only one eye intact, the other socket sparking with lightning, grey‑white hair composed of lightning strands, a strong right arm raised high, gripping a massive lightning whip.

Ten-ring Spell—Talox's Whip!

The male phantom wielding lightning is the former "Storm God" Talox, and this spell is one he left behind after his fall.

Kerston is a psychokinetic and elemental practitioner, specializing in wind and lightning spells.

He deployed "Talox's Whip" on his floating city; Parras is also the only floating city possessing two Ten-ring Spells, the other being the mind‑type "True Illusion Annihilation", used respectively for area damage and single‑target attack.

Meanwhile, the other three floating cities also began casting spells.

Flaniss Floating City's Ten-ring Spell is "Ultimate Arcane Fireball", a massive arcane fireball several meters in diameter;

GrandSage's Ein Floating City cast "Falling Star Technique", summoning from the earth‑element plane a hundred‑meter stone like a falling star, bearing no magical energy, delivering pure weight impact;

Tris Floating City released "Frostfire Storm", fire and ice fused, the explosion instantly creating an annihilation effect, unleashing terrifying energy damage.

Four Ten‑ring Spells concentrate on a single target!

In the West Mountain region, within a hundred‑mile radius, elemental energy in the air boils, multicolored lights converge in the sky, like the end of the world.

The distance between the two sides grows ever smaller.

Thirty seconds later, the Ten‑ring Spells of the four floating cities were still brewing, and the sky suddenly darkened.

All who gazed at the heavens had their eyes stung by the intense light; before they closed their eyes, they vaguely saw massive beams burst, spanning the sky and instantly striking ParrasFloatingCity. After closing their eyes, they heard earth‑shaking explosions in their ears.

Boom!

ParrasFloatingCity's shield had long been opened; apart from Duke Silver Star's Aerasuo Floating City, the protective spells of the Empire's other seven floating cities were all the same.

All were "VijesCui's Arcane Barrier".

The floating cities' great reputation comes not from their attacks, but from their defense!

The Arcane Barrier supported by the Iola Core has extremely strong defense, far surpassing its offense; Ten‑ring Spells of the same level are hard to break through, and even if it endures three to five Ten‑ring Spells simultaneously, the Arcane Barrier will not collapse and will recover quickly.

Therefore, as long as a Holy Soul Wizard stations inside a floating city, they stand invincible in the Prime Material Plane.

Historically, the few times floating cities have been heavily damaged, they were breached from within.

But today, history has been rewritten!

Eight Empire‑class Star Destroyer main cannons fired in unison, eight massive beams struck the same point of ParrasFloatingCity's Arcane Barrier, unleashing endless light and heat.

The flying ParrasFloatingCity seemed to be struck hard by an invisible giant palm, and it abruptly recoiled by a kilometer.

The Storm God's illusion was also shattered, and the spell was interrupted.

Boom…

The Arcane Barrier was pierced head‑on!

It instantly triggered a chain reaction, the entire barrier collapsed, shaking violently a few times before vanishing completely. Immediately after, 6,300 Thunder Spear Missiles poured down, flying unhindered into ParrasFloatingCity, bombarding every corner of the city.

The whole floating city turned into a sea of fire in an instant, falling from the sky.

"No…"

Millions of Nuosiruier's residents heard Duke Hong Shi let out a mournful cry, and under the shocked gazes of gods and mortals, ParrasFloatingCity plunged into the mountains of West Mountain.

Too late, sorry…

(End of Chapter)