The story splits into two narratives.
Mu Feixing used his divine consciousness to manipulate four super energy mechas to rebel against the empire and unleash a devastating attack on the imperial capital, but this was only a small part of his grand plan. On his escape route, he plundered the empire's resources, leaving no high-grade energy stars untouched, cleansing them of their riches. Be it the military or civilians, anyone he encountered faced a gruesome death at his hands. His methods were exceedingly brutal and cruel.
Yet, the news of his survival was known only to a select few. In the public eye, the commander of the mecha corps was Mu Ran. Once beloved by the empire's people, Mu Ran was now hated with equal fervor. Their loved ones were slaughtered, resources plundered, and homes razed to the ground. Overnight, they found themselves in a hellish reality.
Two of the four family heads, who were under Mu Ran's control, sacrificed their lives during the military parade, while the other two were critically injured. Their armies were decimated, leaving them unable to mount an effective defense or counterattack. However, Mu Ran's actions were far from over. After plundering the energy stars, he turned his attention to habitable planets and farming planets. Judging by his offensive trajectory, it seemed he intended to swallow up the majority of the empire's territory and establish his own nation.
The imperial military surmised his plan and arrived at a more terrifying conclusionâhe must have his own forces at his disposal. Otherwise, who would help him suppress the populace of the planets and establish an efficient governing body? The fact that he managed to secretly control six super energy mechas indicated that the Mu family had been planning this for quite some time, possibly building a private army outside of the empire.
Mu Ran's actions confirmed this speculation. He successively conquered six habitable planets and dispatched six super energy mechas to suppress them. He himself remained aboard a cruiser, floating in space, seemingly waiting patiently for reinforcements.
The civilians, consumed by slaughter and enslavement, were utterly hopeless. They wept, gazing in the direction of the imperial capital, praying for salvation. They couldn't fathom how the once glorious empire could fall so swiftly. Why didn't the military intervene? Wasn't it their duty to protect their homeland?
It was only now that the civilians recalled the First and Sixth Armies, who were labeled as "defectors." They suddenly realized that perhaps the accusations were not entirely true and that Mu Ran might have been the one to harm them. The royal family's authority had crumbled, reduced to mere puppets that Mu Ran toyed with, becoming eternal sinners despised by all. The scattered royal family members were forced to assume false identities and flee to foreign lands.
The Federation and several other old imperial powers did not dare to confront Mu Ran directly. Instead, they eyed the empire's other territories and gathered their armies near the borders, waiting for an opportunity. Greater calamity loomed as the civilians sank into despair. Suddenly, the First and Sixth Armies appeared, engaging Mu Ran's mecha forces in fierce combat.
Six super energy mechas were equivalent to six top-tier fleets. Although one of them was newly constructed, with Mu Feixing's guidance behind the scenes, its firepower was not inferior to the seasoned mechas. The First and Sixth Armies, having lost their trump cards, were powerless against the onslaught. However, in their determination to protect their homeland, they seemed prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice.
One by one, the modified pseudo-super energy mechas, like gales, approached the super energy mechas, launching suicidal attacks. When one struck the energy chamber of a super energy mecha, another would swiftly follow, resulting in continuous explosions that echoed throughout the universe.
Pilots perished for their nation, only for more to fearlessly rush forward. They were like moths drawn to the flame, knowing that only death awaited them, yet illuminating the land with their own fiery light. Countless mecha debris floated in space, while many plummeted into the atmosphere, landing on the soil they had vowed to protect with their lives.
The civilians, witnessing this through the Heavenly Eye, shed tears of sorrow. However, they were unaware that behind these skilled pilots, there were numerous mecha manufacturers who had exhausted their mental energy, ultimately awaiting death, in their rush to mass-produce the pseudo-super energy mechas.
Their courage, fearlessness, and determination to protect the empire at all costs deterred the coalition forces who were awaiting their chance to strike. It also caused Mu Ran considerable distress. He had been waiting in vain for Mu Yang's reinforcements. Seeing his super energy mechas, battered by the relentless suicidal assaults, he had no choice but to consider retreat.
The six super energy mechas and the cruiser changed course, flying into the depths of the universe, leaving behind a ravaged empire and a traumatized civilian population. The First and Sixth Armies, after this battle, had sustained heavy casualties. Their most elite units were dispatched on suicide missions, especially Xu Qi's T4 unit and Yan Zhongkui's mecha manufacturer team, leaving only a couple of survivors.
Although they were warmly welcomed when they landed on one of the planets, they felt no joy of victory. A mere skirmish had proven so arduous, and if Mu Ran regrouped, how could the empire possibly resist? Mu Ran had depleted the empire's critical strategic resources. What did the empire have left to rise from the ashes?
The coalition forces, led by the Federation, had not dispersed. They were like ravenous wolves, ready to pounce the moment they sensed their prey was defenseless. The direness of the situation was not only clear to the major armies but also to the more perceptive civilians. The disaster was far from over. Without a sufficiently powerful army and advanced weaponry, the empire's doom was inevitable.
"Although the pseudo-super energy mechas are useful, they consume the lifeblood of the military. Our victories are purchased with lives. How many outstanding mecha pilots have died on the front lines? How many mecha manufacturers have perished on the production line, modifying the pseudo-super energy mechas? We need a manufacturer who can construct super energy mechas in the shortest possible time!" lamented a netizen.
"Remember Lord Jacob's article? Look at the situation now! We've all been played by Mu Ran! It was Mu Ran and the royal family who betrayed the nation. The First and Sixth Armies are the pillars of the empire. Have you calculated how many soldiers they've sacrificed in this battle? Plotters are celebrated, while patriots are persecuted. I mourn for such a nation!" choked another netizen.
"Qi Ze! If anyone can develop the method to build super energy mechas in the shortest time, it's Qi Ze, the inventor of the pseudo-super energy mecha modification technique. Without him, the empire would have already fallen! Where is he?" This message, posted online, resonated deeply, reminding the public that the empire possessed another extraordinary mecha manufacturer, besides Mu Ran. He was young, only eighteen, and his future was far more promising.
"Where is Qi Ze?" Almost everyone was asking the same question, including the military officials gathered for a national salvation conference. The military had abolished the royal family and the upper and lower councils, taking control of the empire with an iron fist. They needed strength, retaliation, not passive resignation. Retaliation required weapons, not mere lip service. Without super energy mechas as a cornerstone, the imperial army would struggle to repel the various powerful enemies.
"Currently, I don't know where Qi Ze is," said Old Man Yan, his face weary.
"We need to find him quickly! Sacrificing lives on the frontline is one thing, but it can't be endless," said a general, his eyes red-rimmed.
"I've already sent people to look for him..." Old Man Yan's words were cut off by an unidentified call. Who would know his private number? His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately answered the call, seeing his grandson's tall figure projected on the holographic screen. Tears welled up uncontrollably.
"Are you alive? And Qi Ze too?" Seeing the two standing side by side, he choked, "Good, good, as long as you're alive! The empire needs you, return quickly!" The participants breathed a collective sigh of relief as they sent over the battle situation, urging them to prepare.
After hanging up the call, Yan Junyu was weighed down by heavy thoughts. The cockpit was silent, and gradually, some broke into sorrowful sobs, others expressed furious curses, and some had bloodshot eyes, yearning to return to their homeland to fight the enemy.
"This was a well-planned blitzkrieg. Fortunately, we had intercepted Mu Ran's reinforcements earlier, or the empire would have already fallen," said Li Ziqian, his hands morphing into claws, unconsciously mimicking the act of throttling. If Mu Ran were in front of him, he would have torn him to shreds.
"Hand over Tianzhu to me. I can guarantee it will be repaired in two months," Qi Ze declared, resolutely.
Li Ziqian quickly produced the Interspatial Button. The group rushed back to the empire at top speed. Wolf Fang and his team had already departed aboard another warship. Even if they spent their days in the asteroid belt and had multiple warships lurking nearby, they dared not target this cruiser.
Seeing Qi Ze unscathed, Yan Zhongkui's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled. Compared to his nephew, he was evidently more concerned about the safety of the young man. Given the empire's current predicament, they could afford to lose countless elite units, but not a mecha manufacturing master of such caliber.
"Find me a workspace, as big as possible," Qi Ze declared without preamble upon disembarking from the warship, immediately getting to work.
Yan Junyu pulled him into an embrace, treasuring the moment by gently kissing his cheeks and forehead, before hurriedly departing. After the imperial capital fell, the military was forced to temporarily designate a planet as the seat of government. The six armies were consolidated into a single patriotic army, fostering stronger cohesion and higher efficiency. Everything operated smoothly, unaffected by the imminent crisis. This was due to Old Man Yan's foresight, and thus, he was appointed the supreme commander of the army in the face of danger.
"I've brought Tianzhu with me. I've recently acquired a batch of materials and can give it a comprehensive overhaul," Qi Ze announced, removing his jacket and rolling up his sleeves. He then divulged a more astonishing revelation, "I forgot to mention, I also have a super energy mecha, or rather, a puppet."
After his cultivation realm improved, he had gained the ability to repair the puppet. Although the materials used were inferior, its power was slightly less than before, but it was sufficient to handle the current crisis.
Yan Zhongkui's spirits soared, pressing for details, "How did you come to have a super energy mecha?"
"A family heirloom," Qi Ze replied as he entered the maintenance bay, simultaneously releasing both the puppet and Tianzhu. Tianzhu still appeared as a mighty steel giant, looking dignified and awe-inspiring. The puppet, however, was a Divine-grade Eight Desolate Ghost-Faced Spider. Its massive body was covered in red and black spines, forming a grotesque ghostly face. Its thick, jointed limbs stretched in all directions, swiftly covering the entire warehouse floor. Its sharp mandibles glinted with a purple-black, ominous light, indicating extreme toxicity.
Compared to the puppet, even the majestic Tianzhu seemed like a delicate and harmless toy. Yan Zhongkui stared blankly at the puppet, muttering, "This, this seems more like a monster than a mecha?"
"True, but it can handle your mechas perfectly well," Qi Ze dismissed, "I'll draw out the simple parts that don't require spiritual energy enhancement. You can have your people manufacture and assemble them. I'll take care of the rest."
"The monster seems dead," Yan Zhongkui whispered.
"Indeed. This is a puppet crafted from the corpse of an Eight Desolate Ghost-Faced Spider," Qi Ze concealed the tinge of sorrow in his eyes. More accurately, the Ghost-Faced Spider was originally alive, but in a previous battle, a cultivator of the Great Consummation stage had shattered its spirit. It was now no more than an ordinary spiritual weapon.
A puppet forged from a Divine-grade spirit beast could only be controlled by cultivators above the Great Consummation stage. If one's cultivation was insufficient, they would need to consume 9,981 high-grade spirit stones to activate it. One consumption could allow two hours of combat, and if another battle were to ensue, the number of spirit stones required would double, making it an extravagantly expensive weapon. Qi Ze lacked the cultivation realm to control it, so he could only utilize the spirit stones stored by the sect for over ten thousand years to exert its full potential. After being relentlessly pursued for several months, and seeing his high-grade spirit stones depleted, he fed it a few spirit veins, drawing all his enemies into a life-or-death confrontation.
In the end, he was stranded in a different world, and the puppet's spirit was also extinguished, returning to a state of silence.
Without a spirit, the Ghost-Faced Spider couldn't unleash its full combat power. However, considering that ghost-faced spiders were originally demonic creatures, perhaps transforming it into a spirit weapon powered by demonic energy would be more compatible, enhancing its combat capabilities. As for Tianzhu, its current owner was also shrouded in demonic energy, making the transformation from metal attribute to dark attribute the most suitable.
Qi Ze lacked nothing currently, except for black crystals, which he had in abundance. Therefore, he quickly decided on the modification plan. However, Yan Zhongkui was clueless, circling around the puppet, anxiously questioning, "The spider is already dead, how will you make it move? Can its body withstand the attacks of artillery shells?"
"Like this," Qi Ze's fingertips filled with spiritual energy as he tapped the puppet's forehead. It immediately activated its mandibles, seeming eager to attack.
Yan Zhongkui jumped in fright, retreating several steps before regaining his balance. He continued to inquire, "But this method of control is exclusive to you. Others simply can't learn it!" He had already deduced that the young man hailed from another star region and possessed powers completely different from the native powerhouses. What the native people could do, he could do as well, but what he could do, the native people might not be able to emulate. This puppet undoubtedly appeared extraordinary, but if no one could master its operation, it would be in vain. They couldn't possibly send Qi Ze to the battlefield as well, could they?
"Yan Junyu can control it," Qi Ze calmly stated, "I forgot to mention, the current Yan Junyu is a wood-type psychic, with a level of at least 5S."
"What, what did you say?" Yan Zhongkui frantically dug his ears, suspecting auditory hallucination. Throughout his life, no, no, even in the history of the empire, a 5S-level powerhouse had never appeared! Wasn't his nephew stripped of his psychic abilities? How could he return transformed like this?
"You can verify it for yourself. I'll transmit the design blueprints for the parts later. This workshop is off-limits to anyone except me," Qi Ze emphasized.
"Alright, I understand," Yan Zhongkui always maintained respect for the unknown. He asked no further questions and hurriedly sought out his nephew.
Qi Ze closed the bay doors, setting up defensive and offensive formations. He then began modifying the puppet. Due to the unpopularity of the demonic race on the Qianyuan Continent, after acquiring high-grade demonic beasts, the sect could only use conventional methods to refine them, without preserving their original attributes. This resulted in a drop in power after successful refinement, due to the incompatibility of attributes.
What Qi Ze aimed to do now was to set up a large demonic energy-gathering formation, using abundant demonic energy to infiltrate the puppet, restoring its original state. Then, he would inscribe demonic patterns on various parts of the puppet and embed demonic crystals, maximizing its combat power. The Divine-grade Eight Desolate Ghost-Faced Spider was enormous, not just due to its tens of tons of weight, but also because its eight jointed limbs, when extended, could envelop a cruiser of substantial size. Qi Ze planned to engrave dense, varying-effect demonic patterns on its surface, a monumental task. If he lost focus, it could even lead to demonic energy invading his body, damaging his cultivation realm.
Fortunately, Qi Ze possessed a fused spirit root, enabling him to cultivate any cultivation technique and absorb any type of energy. Had he been born into a demonic sect, he might have become a formidable demonic cultivator. Of course, as he was now practicing righteous Daoist cultivation techniques, it would be best if he didn't ruin his cultivation realm. The modification of Tianzhu was much simpler, requiring only the replacement of the outer shell with black crystals and the reinstallation of a cockpit.
While Qi Ze was in seclusion, Mu Ran and Mu Yang did not continue their assault on the empire but instead embarked on a frenzy of capturing psychics. In a short span of days, they captured thousands of psychics, all above the S level. Whether nobles or commoners, empire citizens or foreigners, they became their targets. This infuriated various countries and finally made them realize that Mu Ran had gone mad. If they continued to indulge him, the consequences could be severe.
The coalition forces neither withdrew nor launched an attack. They were contemplating whether to leave the empire to contain Mu Ran, or to personally confront Mu Ran. The maximization of interests led them to abandon the idea of an attack. As long as the empire existed, it could continuously weaken Mu Ran's strength. This was a "two birds with one stone" strategy.
Days later, the coalition forces began to retreat, granting the empire, on the verge of collapse, a moment of respite. The military did not publicize the news of Qi Ze's return to avoid any unnecessary dangers for him. Thus, the entire empire's population was echoing the same question, "Where is Qi Ze?"
He had become everyone's last hopeâ
Meanwhile, the fortunate survivor, Wolf Fang, received an invitation from Mu Yang. As fellow pirate leaders, the two often crossed paths, but this was the first time Mu Yang had invited him for a meeting. The Demons pirate group had suffered some unforeseen disaster; their three largest warships had vanished, causing a steep decline in combat power. If not for Mu Ran bringing six super energy mechas to join forces with him, the group might have been swallowed up by other pirate groups long ago.
With weapons and equipment at their disposal, the brothers still needed large numbers of people to dominate a star region. After much deliberation, they decided to cooperate with some "like-minded" individuals. As the leader of the second-largest pirate group in the asteroid belt, Wolf Fang was among their list of potential allies from the very beginning.
"This is my brother Mu Ran, a 4S-level mecha manufacturer. I'm sure you all recognize him," Mu Yang said with a friendly smile, although a hint of arrogance lurked in his eyebrows and the corners of his eyes. As the only 4S-level mecha manufacturer in the entire Galaxy, his achievement was enough to intimidate the hall full of brutes.
"Ah, Master Mu, it's an honor to meet you!" Everyone displayed flattery, except Wolf Fang, who scoffed in disdain. What bullshit 4S? If he had the guts to face Qi Ze head-on, let's see who wins! Oh, he almost forgot. These two had already faced off once, and the result was a miserable defeat for Mu Ran.
Mu Yang shot Wolf Fang a menacing glance, seemingly on the verge of anger, but he held back, considering the plan ahead. He swiftly outlined his proposal, which garnered interested reactions from his fellow pirates. Dividing the empire and establishing relatively independent yet mutually supportive federative states, most ambitious pirate leaders harbored this ideal as their ultimate goal. With Mu Ran and the six super energy mechas involved, the likelihood of success was at least 80%.
"Let's do it!" a captain declared decisively.
"I'm in too."
"Count me in." More and more expressed their agreement.
"Wolf Fang, what's your take?" Mu Yang asked with a half-smile, half-serious expression.
"I need to think it over," Wolf Fang dared not mess around with these people. An old saying from the Qi family's ancient dictionary stated, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated." Only by thoroughly understanding one's enemy could victory be achieved on the battlefield. These people saw only the rosy prospects but ignored the enemy's strength. Blinded by passion, they charged in recklessly. Would they not merely serve as cannon fodder? Could Mu Ran ever surpass Qi Ze? Others might be unaware of the details, but he had thoroughly investigated. Mu Yang led his entire fleet to corner Qi Ze, only to be ruthlessly defeated by Qi Ze's single Neptune ship.
A single Neptune ship could triumph over a top-notch fleet, let alone six super energy mechas. What did they have to fear, especially with the likes of Yan Junyu and Li Ziqian by his side? This seemingly certain victory was, in reality, fraught with uncertainty.
Wolf Fang recalled his experience on ME219, and chills ran down his spine. He waved his hand again, "I can't give you an answer now. Let me go back and think it through." What was there to think about? For now, he couldn't afford to break ties on their territory, but upon his return, he would immediately lead his fleet into the depths of the asteroid belt. He refused to wade into this murky water.
"Fine, it is a major decision, and it deserves careful consideration," Mu Yang conceded, nodding. "Before you all depart, allow me to treat you to a movie."
"What movie? Has Little Jene come out with a new adult film?" a captain asked lewdly. The others' eyes gleamed, bursting into lewd laughter.
Mu Yang was brimming with malevolence, but Mu Ran held him back. If not for the severe damage inflicted on their ancestor and fleet by Qi Ze, he wouldn't need to tolerate these crude individuals. Taking a deep breath, he activated the holographic screen, allowing them to witness his methods firsthand.