“You eighteen shall each command a Bingjiu warship and test yourselves against this Bloodvine Bloom,” commanded the Gold-Robed Witch God.
“Yes, my lord.”
The eighteen newly ascended deities responded with deep respect.
As a Boundary God, the Witch God wielded considerable authority even within the Divine Realm, easily finding these eighteen demigods who were on the verge of godhood. They were thrilled and eager to serve the great Witch God. After all, even if they became gods, they would still be just another among countless deities in the Divine Realm.
But should they earn great merit, their status would be entirely different.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!
In no time, from the massive black fortress, one Bingjiu warship after another soared into the sky, each piloted by a newly ascended god.
“A Bingjiu warship? Even a peak god would struggle to afford one,” each of the eighteen murmured with excitement as they began to study the many formations within their warships, eager to unleash greater power.
“Let’s go, let’s toy with this Bloodvine Bloom.”
“A mere plant-life dares to challenge us?”
The eighteen deities were brimming with confidence.
Though they were low-ranking in the Divine Realm, in the Mortal World, they were considered the pinnacle of strength.
…
Whether it was the Witch God, the Demon God, or Dongbo Xueying and the others at Star Tower, all were watching the unfolding scene.
Inside the Star Tower.
“Master Heshan,” Dongbo Xueying, although keeping an eye on the events outside, still approached Heshan and walked beside him within the Star Tower. “I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Xueying, just say it,” Heshan replied quickly. At this moment, he was eager to contribute to the Xia Clan. Yet seeing the massive fortress and the fleet of Bingjiu warships had filled him with pressure.
“This war, our greatest advantage is this Star Tower,” Dongbo Xueying explained. “It is a twelfth-tier Star Tower capable of manipulating the surrounding space, forming a world of its own! Within this world, every move we make can draw upon greater power. Meanwhile, the forces of the Witch God will be suppressed, their strength diminished, while ours will grow. Moreover, the Star Tower can form a very stable world membrane. This barrier is extremely resilient, one the Witch God and his forces cannot breach.”
Upon hearing this, Heshan was overjoyed. “Xueying, are you saying the Witch God and his forces cannot escape the Star Tower’s range?”
“Precisely,” Dongbo Xueying nodded. “They are trapped here, unable to leave.”
“Then aren’t we already victorious?” Heshan exclaimed happily.
As long as the enemy was trapped long-term…
Wasn’t that the same as winning?
“Any war artifact consumes a great deal of energy,” Dongbo Xueying shook his head. “A twelfth-tier Star Tower consumes an immense amount of energy. Without a master of formations to operate it, maintaining the Star Tower at maximum capacity would require two hundred thousand Divine Crystals per year.”
“Two… two hundred thousand Divine Crystals?” Heshan was stunned.
Dongbo Xueying sighed helplessly. “Trapping the Witch God and his forces with such a geographical advantage isn’t easy at all. I’ve stored six hundred thousand Divine Crystals inside the Star Tower. At maximum operation, it can be sustained for three years.”
“I see now,” Heshan nodded, beginning to understand. “You’re asking me to operate the Star Tower?”
“The Star Tower contains numerous formations, and its operation is extremely complex,” Dongbo Xueying explained. “Thousands of times more complicated than a Dingjiu warship! But if one can decipher some of the formations, one can more effectively channel the power of the Divine Crystals, thus reducing consumption. It might require only one hundred and fifty thousand Divine Crystals per year, or even less!”
Heshan nodded.
He understood this point well.
Like the Dingjiu warship, when operated by Xia Clan’s demigods, one Divine Crystal could only unleash one powerful attack. But if operated by a powerful deity, the same crystal could unleash thousands of attacks! A thousandfold difference—clearly over ninety-nine percent of the energy was wasted.
The ‘Star Tower’ was obviously even more complex.
Its energy demands were far greater. The power of ten or even a hundred deities wouldn’t suffice. It required a massive quantity of Divine Crystals to sustain it!
“Jing Qiu spent eight hundred years studying formations within Redstone Mountain,” Dongbo Xueying continued. “Her talent is already extraordinary, making her well-suited to operate the Star Tower. However, operating the Star Tower’s formations places a tremendous burden on the soul—greater than even channeling a peak god’s Bloodforged Divine Weapon. Jing Qiu cannot operate it continuously. That’s why I hope you and Jing Qiu can alternate.”
“Agreed,” Heshan nodded with a smile. “Jing Qiu’s talent is indeed exceptional. In your generation, Longwind, you, Jing Qiu, and Yuan Qing are all immensely gifted. Perhaps the World Will itself knew of the great calamity facing our Xia Clan and aided us by granting us such prodigies.”
Dongbo Xueying smiled. “Perhaps. Master Heshan, please study the Star Tower formations as soon as possible. This is your chamber—you can operate it from here.”
Inside a sealed hall.
After entering, Heshan immediately sensed the entire Star Tower’s operation. He quickly tapped into the power of the heavens and soon discovered the countless active formations within the Star Tower.
It was overwhelmingly complex.
Vast divine energies surged wildly. Many formations were forced into operation with brute force, causing massive energy leakage and waste. Unfortunately, both Yu Jingqiu and Heshan were of too low a cultivation level to make significant improvements. Even a peak god would only rarely have the formation mastery needed to perfectly control the Star Tower, reducing energy consumption by a hundredfold—requiring only two thousand Divine Crystals per year.
Unfortunately, no such being existed.
…
Whoosh.
With a single step, Dongbo Xueying traversed space and arrived at the chamber where his wife resided.
Yu Jingqiu sat cross-legged, controlling the Star Tower. She had studied it for over five hundred years on the Red Dust Isle! Her master, Brother Ge Bai, who personally forged the Star Tower, had guided her many times, continuously improving her control. Thus, among them, Jingqiu was the most skilled at operating the Star Tower. Under her full effort, it consumed only one hundred and twenty thousand Divine Crystals per year.
Dongbo Xueying didn’t expect much from Heshan—at first, he only hoped to reduce consumption to one hundred and fifty thousand Divine Crystals per year, then even less…
The longer the Star Tower was sustained, the greater their chance of victory.
“Hmm?”
Dongbo Xueying gazed outward through the Star Tower.
Across the vast, endless desert.
The massive black Bloodvine Bloom swayed, already engaged in battle with the eighteen Bingjiu warships.
“Whoosh!”
Countless raindrops materialized from nothingness, attempting to corrode the Bloodvine Bloom.
A dazzling colossal sword phantom slashed down upon the Bloom.
Innumerable white webs entangled the Bloom.
…
The eighteen divine warships hovered in the sky at a distance, not daring to approach, launching long-range attacks against the Bloodvine Bloom.
Yet the Bloom was arrogant and unyielding, its vines swinging wildly, each movement unleashing immense divine power. With the Star Tower’s assistance, its strength had greatly increased. Especially the dark, unique war artifact it bore, which delighted it greatly. Though only at the Mid-God level, with the two enhancements, it fought with the might of a Late-God.
The warships’ power was suppressed by the Star Tower, even weaker than a casual swing of the Bloom’s vines.
“Master, they’re too fast—I can’t catch them,” the Bloom anxiously communicated to Dongbo Xueying mentally.
Inside the Star Tower.
“Xueying, these divine warships can’t harm the Bloodvine Bloom, but the Bloom can’t reach them either,” Palace Master Chen remarked.
Dongbo Xueying nodded. “Indeed, speed is the Bloom’s weakness.”
“Bloodvine, attack the fortress,” Dongbo Xueying ordered.
“Alright, Master!” the Bloom immediately grew excited.
Dongbo Xueying gazed at the distant fortress in deep thought. To destroy the stable spatial passage, they had to destroy that fortress!
“Let’s see just how strong this fortress truly is,” Dongbo Xueying mused inwardly.
…
“The situation is dire,” the Witch God and Demon God observed the distant battle through the fortress walls. The Witch God spoke grimly, “The Bingjiu warships, under the suppression of the Star Tower, barely reach the power of a Late-God. Yet the Bloodvine Bloom is a true Late-God combatant, with its massive body and countless vines… the eighteen warships are completely ineffective against it.”
“This force isn’t enough. Add more strength and force Dongbo Xueying’s ultimate move,” the Demon God, wreathed in flames, said. “He must have prepared a way to attack our fortress, having brought out a twelfth-tier Star Tower. The Bloom’s power is impressive, but its cultivation level is too low. It poses no real threat to us.”
“Agreed,” the Witch God nodded.
Both sides remained cautious.
Dongbo Xueying, the Witch God, and the Demon God were all cautious, seeking to uncover each other’s tactics. This war was too crucial for both factions.
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