Across the Qinyuan Kingdom, countless pairs of eyes looked up toward the sky at that very moment.
Puzzlement flickered in many a gaze.
Some young couples cheered, "Look, fireworks in the sky!"
Others seemed to realize the truth, their expressions turning exceptionally grave.
For such a glow to appear across the heavens, what it signified could be horrifying.
Many rushed online to refresh trending searches, desperate to find out what had actually happened.
Others harbored quiet foreboding.
Yet they never received any explanation of "fireworks." Instead, what arrived was a bloody, crimson declaration of war!
Can Star, allied with the Guwu Kingdom, had formally declared war on the Qinyuan Kingdom.
"A declaration of war?"
"Can Star declared war? How is that possible!"
"We're done for. Can Star has entered the fray!"
The internet erupted in an uproar.
Although Can Star and Arch Star had never seen eye to eye and constantly undercut each other in secret, an all-out declaration of war was a first.
Even during the previous invasion, Can Star had never officially issued an all-out declaration of war.
"Hahaha! Can Star is the true beacon of civilization! I've finally lived to see this day! I'm so thrilled!"
A small faction on the internet rejoiced.
"Only under Can Star's leadership can Qinyuan enjoy true freedom and true democracy!"
Back when Can Star and Arch Star were at war, Arch Star had consistently been at a disadvantage. Many on Arch Star yearned for Can Star and groveled before it.
The moment these comments surfaced, they ignited public fury.
"War has always been bloody and cruel!"
"If you love Can Star so much, go there yourself!"
"Hmph! Back then, our old Qin people could defend our lands, and we can do it today as well!"
"Back then, we relied on our own grit, iron will, unyielding spirit, and the Eye of the Sky we salvaged from the desert to triumph over Can Star. Today, not only do we possess the Eye of the Sky, but we even have a cadre of immortal cultivators! What do we have to fear?"
Voices clashed back and forth across Qinyuan's digital networks.
Offline, supermarkets, malls, and other commercial centers were swarmed by mobs of people beginning to panic-buy supplies.
Right then, an official video from the Guwu Kingdom dropped like a bombshell across the Qinyuan Kingdom once more.
"Citizens, at six minutes past the afternoon hour on March 7th, Can Star's armada launched a lethal surprise assault on the airspace of the Qinyuan Kingdom. In this raid, all of the Qinyuan Kingdom's... Eyes of the Sky were obliterated. Doubtless, all of you witnessed those radiant, firework-like colors in the sky. Indeed, that was the sound of the Eyes of the Sky shattering. Now, Qinyuan's strongest shield has broken, leaving the Qinyuan Kingdom stripped bare and exposed within the striking range of Can Star's aerospace dreadnoughts. Raise your hands, lay down your resistance, and welcome the arrival of the heavenly army!"
Everyone who watched this video felt their hearts jolt violently at that instant.
"The Eyes of the Sky are gone?"
"Impossible!"
"That's utterly impossible!"
This time, true panic set in.
Even the immortal cultivators felt thick dark clouds looming over their hearts.
None knew the terrifying might of the Eye of the Sky better than these cultivators. It was a monstrous weapon capable of obliterating the Purple Mansion realm.
To have all of them wiped out in an instant—how could they not be horrified?
For Can Star to silently shatter Qinyuan's ultimate weapon without a whisper of warning... what did that mean?
It meant Can Star was far stronger than ever before!
It meant that once Can Star's warships arrived, Qinyuan would possess zero means of resistance.
War had erupted with utter suddenness.
Many could not even comprehend why hostilities had flared up like this.
Naturally, they had no idea that present-day Can Star was entirely under the thumb of the demons from the Myriad Demons Realm.
The demons of the Myriad Demons Realm cared nothing for Can Star's survival, directly ordering Can Star to launch a suicide strike.
Although this attack had successfully taken down Qinyuan's Eyes of the Sky, Can Star had also suffered catastrophic casualties and severe damage to its foundations, directly losing thirty percent of its military capability.
Plundering Qinyuan would never make up for such losses.
Because of this, many had believed Can Star would never embark on a massive cross-stellar invasion of Qinyuan, as the costs far outweighed the gains.
Yet now, it had happened.
At that moment, the capital was in utter disarray.
Inside an underground facility, the twenty clan heads of the Seven Martial Stars families, the king, and senior military generals had gathered.
A white-haired elder spoke, his face a mix of rage and despair. "How could Can Star do this? Wounding the enemy at tremendous cost to themselves—what good does this do them?!"
"Now is not the time to debate that! What we need to consider is how to counter Can Star's offensive! Their follow-up armada has already mobilized. In ten days, their army will be at our gates, and we will be finished!"
"We really are doomed. With the Eyes of the Sky gone, what do we use to fight their warships? Are immortal cultivators supposed to slash them with swords?" a young clan head said, looking utterly shattered.
The Eye of the Sky was their faith.
The fact that the Seven Martial Stars families were so powerful was inextricably linked to the Eye of the Sky. Relying on it, the Seven Martial Stars families had stood tall and unshakable. Even when confronting mysterious and mighty immortal cultivators, the Eye of the Sky had exhibited terrifying pressure and dominance.
This clan head had grown up listening to legends of the Eye of the Sky. Now that the Eyes of the Sky had shattered, his courage had completely fled him.
"The Eye of the Sky was an epoch-defining weapon. Without it, what do we use to resist? Forget it, let's surrender. Any further resistance is pointless," another clan head said dejectedly.
Indeed, if the Eye of the Sky was a Tier 0 weapon, then the Qinyuan Kingdom possessed nothing in Tier 1 or Tier 2, only Tier 3. Such was the supremacy of the Eye of the Sky.
Yet now that all the Eyes of the Sky had been caught in a surprise strike and detonated, the Qinyuan Kingdom was entirely ruined.
"Surrender?" The king's voice brimmed with anger and disgust. "Could it be that you wish to see our people turned into livestock for slaughter? Are the intelligence reports and documents coming from Can Star not clear enough? The ordinary citizens of Can Star have all become meat for the Myriad Demons Realm! If we are overrun by the Myriad Demons Realm, the next ones turned into meat will be us!"
Through the seasoning of the years, the former Seventh Prince had matured significantly.
His voice was frigid, dripping with fierce disapproval.
Intelligence from Can Star had continually reached Arch Star.
They knew full well that present-day Can Star was suffering a wretched fate. Virtually all of the upper echelons had been infiltrated by the Myriad Demons Realm, their lives held in the grip of the demon race. Ordinary citizens on the bottom rung were treated as meat and shipped off to the Myriad Demons Realm.
The newly founded Great Starry Sea Navigation Company on Can Star existed solely to conduct this grim trade.
To the demons of the Myriad Demons Realm, mortals were mere ingredients.
If Can Star conquered them, what awaited the citizens of Qinyuan was unimaginable.
These elites in power might still scrape by and hold on to their lives, enjoying wealth and glory while playing the subservient fool from time to time.
But what about the common folk?
Once, the Seventh Prince had lacked the qualifications to inherit the throne. Later, he had ascended and become king. He had walked on eggshells every step of the way, driven by ambition. He had no desire to be an incompetent ruler.
Gongyi Qing nodded in agreement. "Indeed, we must never surrender. Even if we die, we must make the invaders pay a bitter price!"
In the past, Gongyi Qing had not even belonged to the direct lineage of the Gongyi family. Before the world had reset, he had tread carefully, standing before Qi Yuan's tombstone to solemnly and respectfully recite the contents of the contract and the secret code over and over.
Because Qi Yuan had taken note of him, he had been granted significant responsibility within the Gongyi family and eventually rose to become the clan head.
Perhaps because he remembered the debt of gratitude for Qi Yuan's recognition, he had stayed true to his original aspirations and held higher ambitions. Having reached his current station, what material luxury had he not enjoyed? His pursuit now was to leave his name in the annals of history.
"However, the fiercer our resistance, the more Can Star will fly into a rage and retaliate against us twice as brutally!" someone murmured weakly.
"And if we don't resist, we just let the butcher's blade fall upon our necks?"
"Not resisting means death, but resisting means death too—and perhaps an even more gruesome one..."
"Without the Eyes of the Sky, what do we have to hold them off?"
Among the Seven Martial Stars families, the clan heads shirked responsibility and squabbled endlessly.
Watching this scene, the king felt profound disappointment.
He knew that many among these twenty clan heads were terrified—terrified that resisting would offend Can Star and bring down bloody retribution upon themselves.
He recalled what Mr. Qi had once said. In truth, the Seven Martial Stars had no need to exist at all. Even without them, the Qinyuan Kingdom would do just fine.
It was just that back when he had asked Mr. Qi whether they should pull the Seven Martial Stars from their pedestal, Mr. Qi had merely replied: *I'm just playing a game. What does this have to do with me?*
The argument dragged on for half a day, the hall thick with metaphorical smoke, yet no conclusion was reached.
Once everyone had departed, the king looked toward the now-aged Gongyi Qing, his eyes heavy with despondency. He asked, "Have you managed to contact Mr. Qi?"
A sliver of hope lingered in his eyes.
At a time like this, their only hope lay in Mr. Qi.
Granted, he had not dared reach out to Mr. Qi for several decades, simply because Mr. Qi had told them not to disturb him.
Gongyi Qing's eyes betrayed his disappointment. "I cannot reach him. Mr. Qi comes and goes like a divine dragon showing neither head nor tail. We likely will only be able to see him when the Martial Arts Tournament opens. Aside from the Martial Arts Tournament, he seems to care nothing for our Qinyuan Kingdom."
"Sigh... this trial is simply too great. Even if Mr. Qi were to intervene, I fear it would be difficult to resolve this crisis. The Myriad Demons Realm is far too mighty; even Can Star could not resist them in the slightest. Even if Mr. Qi agreed to step in, a lone tree cannot form a forest; one hand cannot clap alone," the king murmured, lost in thought.
"This time, we can only rely on ourselves. We cannot always pin our hopes on others. Mr. Qi owes us nothing; he isn't our babysitter."
Chaos gripped the Qinyuan Kingdom as signs of unrest erupted everywhere.
Meanwhile, on a small island, over twenty young men and women stood gathered together.
Most of them appeared ordinary, but a closer look revealed an extraordinary bearing.
Among them was a young woman in tight-fitting clothes, her expression carrying a hint of anxiety and bewilderment.
Were Qi Yuan present, he would have recognized her as Xiao Mei—the blind-date partner from when he had first begun playing this game, who had even lent him quite a bit of money. This Xiao Mei was also an apprentice of his body's parents.
Right now, Xiao Mei stood behind a female Daoist, her expression burdened with worry as though fretting over Arch Star's fate.
The female Daoist rose, looking at the young men and women present. Her voice was ethereal. "Everyone, disaster looms. If we remain in this realm, an immense horror may descend upon us."
This female Daoist was the sect master of the Tianyuan Sect, Daoist Tianxian.
"If we don't stay in this realm, where do we go?" a man asked.
These people were all Resetters.
Over the years, most Resetters had crossed into the immortal sects to become cultivators. However, infighting had frequently broken out among them, leaving only twenty to thirty survivors.
Hearing the man's question, Daoist Tianxian sighed in regret before continuing, "We shall discuss that matter later. For now, please put aside your fighting and slaughter. According to the deductions of the Tianyuan Miracle Stone, should all Resetters fall—or if only a precious few remain—a terrifying catastrophe will occur."
"Heh, the Eyes of the Sky have fallen, and Can Star is invading. Could there be anything more terrifying than that?" a woman could not help remarking.
The others also seemed dismissive of the female Daoist's words. Had she not been the sect master of the Tianyuan Sect—a senior of formidable power—they would never have granted her this much respect.
"Forget this vague horror. What we should be thinking about is how to repel Can Star's invasion. Otherwise, once the demons descend, none of us will survive."
"Right. The bloodlines flowing through our veins are precisely what demons relish most. The demons of the Myriad Demons Realm will never spare us!"
"Mighty as the Three Realms are, even they cannot hold off Can Star, nor can they withstand the Myriad Demons Realm!"
The Resetters were weighed down by anxiety.
Listening to this, Daoist Tianxian's expression turned desolate. *The deduction of the Tianyuan Miracle Stone indicated that the crisis facing the Three Realms and Arch Star is far worse than an invasion by Can Star. What on earth... could it be?*
Can Star's invasion and the arrival of the demons would turn this realm into a playground for fiends. All humanity would likely be reduced to demon fodder.
That was already catastrophic and wretched beyond measure.
Yet the Tianyuan Miracle Stone claimed that their fate—and the fate of Arch Star—would be even more tragic.
*It seems our only slim hope lies in waiting for Patriarch's descent,* Daoist Tianxian thought to herself.
Patriarch was a Yin God, wielding the power to suppress every enemy under the sun. Once he descended, all the fiends and monsters of the world would be scattered like dust, and Can Star's invasion would become an utter joke.
Such was the terrifying might of a Yin God!
However, it would still take some time before Patriarch arrived.
During that interval, could Arch Star weather the crisis?
***
High atop the tower, the atmosphere was silent and mysterious.
Nearly all the Martial Lords had their eyes shut to rest and recuperate, with only one or two idly watching the Martial Kings tackle the trials out of sheer boredom.
Qi Yuan scrolled through the forum and picked up many helpful suggestions.
"This person's wisdom is no lesser than True Monarch Dazhi's.
"Indeed, if I want to establish a Netherworld, I must first possess a plot of land.
"That was an oversight on my part.
"Pity everyone is speculating in real estate these days. Property prices are way too high; I can't afford it."
Qi Yuan wore a troubled look.
Moreover, just any ordinary plot would not do; it had to be a place heavy with yin qi. Otherwise, it would not match the Netherworld's interior design.
"Heilu, do you know of any region... with particularly heavy yin qi?" Qi Yuan could not resist asking.
"Yin qi?" Martial Lord Heilu was surprised, then answered, "The yin qi in the Origin Land is quite heavy. Here... dead souls are everywhere."
Qi Yuan was not surprised by this answer.
Although the Origin Land was the land of beginnings, symbolizing vibrant vitality, the ancient great war had left it far heavier in yin qi than the Land of the End.
He had known the yin qi here was strong, but he had not anticipated it would be *this* heavy.
"Tell me, if I wanted to buy the Origin Land, how much money would be reasonable?
"Oh, right, what currency do you take? Would hell money work?" Qi Yuan could not help asking.
He had no desire to part with real cash, but he could certainly offer some issued by the Bank of Heaven and Earth.
"*Cough, cough...*" Martial Lord Heilu coughed, looking as though he had choked on his own saliva. "Is sir joking?"
Who on earth tried to buy the Origin Land?
"Hahaha! If you possess sufficient strength, you could simply conquer the Origin Land directly and claim it as your private domain. However, that is far too difficult. Setting aside the Eastern Alliance, there is another formidable faction within the Origin Land, unfathomable and mysterious. Whatever you do, do not offend them, or else..."
At the mention of that faction, Martial Lord Heilu wore a complicated look, laced with deep dread.
"Conquering it outright isn't great. It lacks moral integrity; I should buy it with money. Sigh, sometimes I really wish I could get rich overnight. I wish I could wake up from a nap and hit the grand prize in the lottery," Qi Yuan daydreamed, indulging his fantasy.
Yet the moment he realized that even winning the grand prize every single day probably would not be enough to buy it, he felt even more dejected.
Chapter 368