Chapter 934: A Smooth Push All the Way

A beam of blue‑white laser over ten meters in diameter illuminated the dim sky of Sighing Wilderness; within dozens of miles a white‑day shone, and the over a hundred vampires that had taken to the air to scout were right on the laser's path and were instantly vaporized.

Thousands of vampires stared toward the Star Destroyer, and the sudden flash of light caused excruciating pain in their eyes, briefly blinding them.

In the instant before they went blind, they finally saw the enemy.

A massive metal fortress!

When the Star Destroyer fires, it cannot maintain the Invisibility Field; once it fires, the field automatically dissipates. But the vampires could not react at all, their minds went blank, and they were engulfed by the explosion and shockwave.

Boom—

A beam faster than lightning struck the castle, emitting an earth‑shaking roar; a mushroom cloud rose in the explosion.

The blast generated terrifyingly hot flames; the vampires at the explosion's core were instantly reduced to ash, and a massive shockwave swept outward, spreading for kilometers.

A few seconds later.

When the explosion subsided and the smoke cleared, the castle was gone.

Where the castle had stood was now a pit dozens of meters deep and nearly two hundred meters in diameter; the twisted forest beyond the pit had also been leveled.

Within a kilometer, not a blade of grass grew!

That vampire countess and the thousands of vampires were all vaporized in that blast, leaving no trace of their former existence.

Only a quarter of the vampires escaped the disaster.

Their status was low, they had no right to reside in the castle, and they were farther away, so they were hit by the Star Destroyer's bombardment. When their vision returned, they saw the aftermath, their souls shattered, and they screamed madly as they fled.

Mid-stage and above vampires can turn into bats or black mist, and their flight speed is not slow.

But however fast they fly, it cannot match the Electric Light Cannon's fire.

Boom—Boom—Boom—

The Star Destroyer's secondary cannon fired.

Thirty‑two twin Electric Light Cannons roared in unison, all entering "continuous fire" mode, like a gale of rain, firing lightning bolts at the highest frequency; each bolt's power equaled a five‑ring spell, exploding the moment it hit the target and turning these mid‑ and low‑stage vampires to ash.

The Star Destroyer simultaneously fired in all directions, eliminating vampires every second.

The enemies had no resistance, and their numbers were few; the Extreme Warrior and Holy Lance Knight didn't even get a chance to fight.

On the bridge.

Ai Luoti Xi Ya watched vampires being blown apart one by one, and the huge crater on the ground; her golden‑yellow eyes widened, pupils trembling violently, looking a bit unsteady.

The Star Destroyer's power far exceeded her expectations, even though she had anticipated it.

Lei En gave the succubus a glance and smiled inwardly.

Then he turned his attention back to the opened phone interface; when Holy Soul Ascension wizard was activated, the remote soul‑absorption range expanded to ten thousand meters, roughly matching the Star Destroyer's main cannon maximum range, so there was no need to dispatch Thundercast Celestial Soldiers to absorb souls.

At the moment the main cannon bombarded, the soul‑energy pool surged wildly.

About eight thousand vampire souls were harvested; after a few breaths, the energy rose by more than three thousand units!

Now the soul‑energy pool capacity is ten thousand units, each unit measured in Holy Soul wizard terms; the current three thousand units equal fifteen thousand units before Holy Soul Ascension.

And it's still rising.

However, even if all vampires in this area were killed, the total energy provided would only reach four thousand units.

Lei En did not hesitate, pouring all the newly absorbed energy into the "Heart of the Main Brain."

This Element's priority is currently at the top.

The Heart of the Main Brain is level nine, able to create 2,048 sub‑brain crystals; originally sufficient, but the Extreme Warrior corps expanded to six hundred, each Extreme Warrior now requires a set of power armor, more Star Destroyers must be built, and one ship consumes over thirty sub‑brain crystals.

Most importantly are the Thundercast Celestial Soldiers.

They are the best tools we have; whether forging power armor, constructing Star Destroyers, mining, refining, commanding our legions, planting spies, they are indispensable everywhere.

Currently there are over eight hundred Thundercast Celestial Soldiers, yet still not enough.

Power armor, Star Destroyer, Electric Light Cannon and Thundercast Celestial Soldiers together make the 2,048 sub‑brain crystals feel tight.

Moreover, Lei En is secretly guarding against Extreme Warriors defecting to Giliman, preparing to form an armor corps composed entirely of Thundercast Celestial Soldiers.

More Thundercast Celestial Soldiers will accelerate the realization of his various plans.

The progress bar of the Heart of the Main Brain advanced rapidly.

Over three thousand energy units have been consumed, the progress bar rose to just over half.

Lei En shook his head inwardly, but was not surprised. The last time he raised the Heart of the Main Brain to level nine, he had tried it; raising it to level ten required thirty thousand units, equivalent to six thousand now, so three thousand units raise it half a level, roughly the same.

This is only the first vampire territory; more energy lies ahead.

One minute later.

Within the Star Destroyer's artillery range no vampire could be found; the booming cannon fire ceased, and the energy stopped rising.

Lei En did not relax, opening the hangar.

Extreme Warriors and Holy Lance Knights flew out in swarms, dispersing, conducting carpet‑style searches within ten miles; they scanned from the air, firing at any suspicious spot, never letting a single fish slip through the net.

Sure enough, dozens of hidden or feigning‑death vampires were uncovered.

Then they were shot dead.

Reslin cast Mirror Image, his body and twelve Mirror Images cloaked themselves, scattering, and activated the All-Seeing Eye for a final check.

A few vampires that evaded the legion's search hid trembling underground, but could not escape the All-Seeing Eye.

A Mind Blast ended their lives.

When the Mirror Image duration ended, the Extreme Warriors and Holy Lance Knights returned to the Star Destroyer; Lei En did not pause, ordering the Star Destroyer to activate its Invisibility Field and fly toward the next vampire territory.

Vampires are an evil race transformed from humans; they retain the human aristocratic system, and a promoted legend can be ennobled, granted a domain, and build a personal castle within it for other vampires to attach to.

The higher the title, the larger the domain, and the larger the castle.

Earlier, Reslin copied several hundred books in that vampire countess's study, one of which listed the vampire noble registry of the Sighing Wilderness and their corresponding domains.

All domains lie within Black Thorn Forest, with over a hundred nobles in total.

Barons are the most numerous, occupying seventy percent of all nobles, but barons have the fewest vampires under them, ranging from one or two thousand to only a few hundred; there are about twenty‑plus counts, each with five to ten thousand vampire vassals, like the domain just destroyed.

There are eight Legendary High-rank vampire Dukes, each having at least ten thousand vampire vassals, but no more than twenty thousand.

However, when surrounding Ai Luo Ti Xi Ya, Lei En killed two Dukes.

In the Sighing Wilderness there is a vampire Prince.

It is one of the thirteen vampire Princes of the Abyss, but the most junior, having become a Prince only a few hundred years, and its strength is also at the very bottom.

This vampire Prince dares not contest territories on other Abyssal Planes, so it can only choose the barren Sighing Wilderness to establish its own vampire Principality. All vampires in Black Thorn Forest are its blood descendants and subjects, including Dukes and Barons, all loyal to it.

The vampire Prince's territory lies deep within Black Thorn Forest, roughly in the far north, where a massive castle stands; the vampires residing in the castle and surrounding area total nearly one hundred thousand.

That already amounts to a small city.

However, Lei En does not intend to attack the vampire Prince's castle immediately, but starts from the outskirts of Black Thorn Forest, advancing step by step, with his forces aimed at the Prince's castle.

Along the way there are a dozen or so vampire aristocrats, including two Duke territories, which he clears out in passing.

When Ai Luo Ti Xi Ya learns of Lei En's plan, she sighs deeply.

She no longer doubts that Lei En can eradicate all Demons in the Sighing Wilderness, but thinking of those vampires who had chased her into a desperate scramble, even almost captured, who to Lei En are merely ants he can crush at will, the stark contrast leaves her silent.

The succubus's mood has not yet settled, and the next target arrives.

A vampire Baron's castle appears ahead; the sound of the Star Destroyer flying while invisible startles the vampires of Black Thorn Forest.

Their reaction is identical, looking up toward the source of the sound.

Lei En slightly reduces his flight speed, calculating the lead, and fires precisely when the castle enters the main cannon's range.

Boom!

The Baron's castle is bombed into a huge crater; the vampires within the blast are wiped out completely.

Then the Star Destroyer's secondary cannon fires.

Countless lightning beams, like a raging storm, spray in all directions, blasting the vampires who survived the main cannon's strike.

The Electric Light Cannon fires for less than half a minute, after which Extreme Warriors and Holy Lance Knights go out to mop up.

Hidden vampires are found one by one and shot dead.

The battle ends within a quarter of an hour.

This vampire Baron's territory is small, with few vassals; killing them all yields less than a thousand energy units, which Lei En feeds entirely into the Central Brain, raising the progress bar to about 66%.

"Continue!"

Lei En and his subordinate legion return to the Star Destroyer and set off without pause.

The engines roar, flying at high speed.

The Star Destroyer heads north, sweeping away vampire territories and castles in its path; the combat sequence is identical: first fire the Star Destroyer within an Invisibility Field to destroy the castle and eliminate most vampires, then dispatch the legion to reap the remaining foes.

Within an hour, the Star Destroyer eradicates four vampire territories.

Except the first was a Count's domain, the next three were Barons'. When the vampire souls of the fourth territory are harvested, the Central Brain's progress bar finally reaches its limit.

Lei En sets the Star Destroyer to autopilot and opens the handheld interface.

On the Soul World Tree, the Central Brain's Element rune vibrates violently, flashing with strange light; when it steadies, it finally ascends to Level Ten!

Lei En carefully senses the situation.

As expected, a Level‑10 Central Brain can create twice as many sub‑brain crystals, reaching 4096!

Other effects remain unchanged; the Thundercast Celestial Soldiers it creates can still only replicate the Element they had at Legendary Primary stage, as anticipated.

"Still need to upgrade."

"4096 sub‑brain crystals are enough, but to form an armored legion of Thundercast Celestial Soldiers, fewer than three thousand would be unsightly; it should be about three thousand, right?"

"Manufacturing power armor and the Star Destroyer also requires more workers."

"Even ten thousand Thundercast Celestial Soldiers wouldn't be too many."

Lei En pauses to think, decides to raise the Central Brain by another level. Moreover, at Level 11 the Central Brain not only doubles its numbers, but may also push Thundercast Celestial Soldiers to Legendary Mid-stage, boosting their power severalfold; any Thundercast Celestial Soldier would no longer fear opponents below Saint Rank.

He attempts to invest energy units, and the progress bar inches forward by a tiny amount.

"Upgrading requires twenty thousand energy units…"

Lei En is startled; such a harvest of energy units can only be done in the Abyss, never in the Prime Material Plane.

Twenty thousand energy units are many, but he does not change his mind.

"Duke territory!"

Ai Luo Ti Xi Ya points at the castle ahead and says.

Lei En had already seen it: a vast, gloomy castle deep in Black Thorn Forest, surrounded by extensive structures; tens of thousands of vampires hear the commotion, look up toward the Star Destroyer, unaware that death approaches.

This is the first Duke domain encountered; aside from having more vampires, there is nothing unique.

A vampire dressed in a black tuxedo appears above the castle.

It is the castle's master, a Legendary High-rank vampire, staring intently at the approaching massive sound, its grim face showing solemnity.

Lei En ignores the vampire Duke; the Star Destroyer continues flying while its main cannon begins charging, aiming at the ground castle.

Titan runes light up at the barrel, massive energy converging.

Charging the Star Destroyer cannon takes thirty seconds.

The castle gets closer; in a few seconds it will enter main cannon range. At this moment, the vampire Duke in the sky finally sees through the Invisibility Field, instantly turning pale with terror, eyes full of panic, and without thinking turns into a cloud of blood mist fleeing north.

However, the blood mist it becomes stalls in place.

The world quiets, and Time Stop takes effect.

A black silhouette appears within the Time Stop area; expression indifferent, Reslin waves his staff at the immobilized vampire Duke, and within six seconds seven or eight spells fire instantly. When time resumes, the vampire Duke is instantly engulfed by the spells.

It does not even see its castle being destroyed.

Boom!

The Duke's castle is razed flat; this single main cannon shot kills nearly twenty thousand vampires, and the soul pool's energy units surge wildly, skyrocketing like a rocket.

Absorbing so many souls at once actually makes Lei En feel a bit dizzy and bloated.

When the electricity growth trend stabilized, the soul power pool already had over seven thousand units of electricity, and it was still rising, approaching the capacity limit.

Huu…

Lei En secretly let out a breath, quickly pouring the electricity into the heart of the main brain.

The progress bar advanced quickly.

There were many vampires in this duke's territory; the main cannon only destroyed about ninety percent, leaving two or three thousand vampires surviving.

The Star Destroyer's Electric Light Cannon fired fiercely, madly harvesting their lives.

The Extreme Warrior and Holy Lance Knight also launched a preemptive strike, lest any vampires escape the Star Destroyer's range and leak the news.

Half an hour later, when the battle ended, the progress bar for the level-ten heart of the main brain had already passed halfway.

"Just one more duke's territory and we can level up." Lei En's spirits lifted; waiting for his legion to return to the hangar, he immediately piloted the Star Destroyer and continued flying north.

(End of chapter)