Chapter 1123 Hu Tianshan
Li Mu pressed a b.u.t.ton on the communication device and remarked, “Elder Yi Hou, watch out. The Tiger Talisman Royal Family has made a move. If they come here, find an opportunity to besiege them. If there is a chance, take down part of their fleet! Heh!” Li Mu’s expression turned ferocious.
“They’ve come prepared,” Yi Hou responded.
“Cough.”
The mood suddenly changed. Li Mu coughed lightly and said, “Then you’d better go into hiding. If we can’t defeat them, we shall just retreat and try our best to protect this place. This is Senior Zhang’s territory. Guarding this place is also my first task. I don’t want to fail this task.”
“You’d better brace yourself for defeat. Don’t exert yourself just to look good,” Yi Hou said before hanging up.
The atmosphere gradually became tense and depressing.
Many people were glancing around at the dark void of the universe.
It was as though the enemy’s fleet could emerge at any moment somewhere in the darkness.
They were lurking in the darkness. Perhaps they would quietly descend like the light of dawn. But this light only represented coldness and slaughter.
The atmosphere became more and more oppressive.
In a battle between two fleets in the void, one could be vanquished once a careless mistake was made.
Even though their chances of escaping were high, they were still worried that the opponent might have been too well-prepared.
“It’s true! The enemy is really coming!”
“Their fleet is coming at us. A fleet of this scale…”
“Gos.h.!.+ It’s the Tiger Talisman Royal Family’s princ.i.p.al force!”
“Oh no! We’re finished!”
In the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps where the construction team stayed, many people lost their nerve.
They didn’t know much about battling.
Their blood ran cold when they saw the sudden appearance of a fleet of more than 100 s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps in the void ahead and the mark of a formidable tiger’s head on the main vessel.
“That is Hu Tianshan’s main vessel!”
“It’s him! That G.o.d of Death actually came here in person!”
Many people, including those on the main vessel where Li Mu stayed, couldn’t help crying out in alarm.
After all, one’s reputation followed one like his shadow.
The pressure that Hu Tianshan exerted on others was simply too immense.
Even Li Mu’s forehead beaded with perspiration despite himself.
“D*mn it! Are you kidding me? This Lost Continent is on the margin of the Star Area. Why would a big wig like Hu Tianshan take the trouble to come here in person?
“Is it that they’ve found out that we’re doing construction work here for Senior Zhang and so they come here to take revenge?
“No. The news of the project here has no way to spread out.
“Perhaps they’ve smelled something fishy themselves?”
“Their fleet has 150 s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps.
“Hu Tianshan is leading the fleet.
“He also has mechanical troops.
“If we put my s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps and Elder Yi Hou’s together, we have a total of 180 s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps. It’s not like we don’t stand a chance against them.
“Can we sneak attack them?”
Li Mu’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He began to weigh the odds of winning the battle.
The other party had five main vessels.
Li Mu had seven on his side.
Although he only had two more main vessels, it gave him a big advantage, for the battle prowess of the main vessels was extremely terrifying.
“Buzz, buzz…”
Li Mu’s s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps switched on their defensive covers.
They were all set to launch attacks.
So were the other party.
The gigantic fleet was slowly approaching.
Before they even came within the firing range, Li Mu’s scout aircraft, self-detonation aircraft, and signal interference aircraft shot out and strung out in a long line.
War seemed to be on the verge of breaking out.
Seeing this, the allied forces on the Dal Star felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave.
“Hu Tianshan has brought his men here. They’re really going to fight! This is incredible.”
“D*mn it! Didn’t I tell you already? The Cloud Shadow Sky has been building a stronghold here to make preparations for the war!”
“Fortunately, they’re closer to the Lost Continent. We’re still some distance away from them. Let’s observe the situation first.”
In the pictures captured by their main vessels and scout s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps, one could see clearly that the Tiger Talisman Royal Family’s large fleet was marching over with immense aggressiveness as if a great mountain was bearing down on them.
“We’ve received a signal,” a subordinate hurriedly reported to Li Mu.
“Put it through!”
Li Mu seemed to have guessed something. He was so nervous that his throat became dry.
“Buzz, buzz, buzz!”
A figure appeared on the screen ahead.
It really was Hu Tianshan!
He was still as calm as ever, as though he would not turn a hair even if Mount Tai were collapsing onto him.
He looked at Li Mu with a cool face and said slowly, “Young Master Li, is what you are building here Zhang Hanyang’s project?”
When Li Mu saw Hu Tianshan, his heart seemed to jump to his throat. But he managed to keep a calm face and answered unhurriedly, “You don’t need to know that.”
“Heh.” Hu Tianshan chuckled and said, “That’s true. I don’t need to know that because this place will no longer exist after today.”
“Then, I’ll ask you the second question. Do you know where Zhang Hanyang has gone to?” Hu Tianshan asked again.
“No idea. I won’t tell you even if I know,” Li Mu replied stubbornly.
“What the h.e.l.l?
“He is going to destroy this place right off?
“He just wants me to fail the task, doesn’t he?”
“You are very calm.”
There was a playful smile at the corner of Hu Tianshan’s mouth. He said, “Is it because your 100th elder, Yi Hou, has planted some traps in the darkness?”
“Swoos.h.!.+”
In an instant, Li Mu’s countenance changed.
He never knew Hu Tianshan had even learned about that.
“F*ck!”
“This place is what Zhang Hanyang asked you to build.”
As if he had become a prophet, Hu Tianshan said leisurely, “Oh right, it can be said that it’s his subordinate’s project. This place cost more than 500 million crystal stones, right? Because he wants to build a safe harbor for his people in the Sea Dragon Star Area?
“Zhang Hanyang has taught your Cloud Shadow Sky a lot of secret skills. He is truly family to you.
“However, it’s a pity that he won’t be able to personally witness the destruction of the Cloud Shadow Sky.
“Now, how are you feeling about this?”
In the face of Hu Tianshan’s question, Li Mu couldn’t say a word.
He felt cold all over, as though he had fallen into an ice cave.
“How come he knew everything?
“This is really…”
Drops of cold sweat streamed down Li Mu’s cheeks.
He felt that a huge crisis was right before him.
“Haha.”
Hu Tianshan laughed faintly and turned off his communication device.
“Alert! We’ve encountered turbulent airflow. We can’t enter the secondary s.p.a.ce for the time being.”
“Alert! The opponent’s wars.h.i.+ps are entering the edge of the war zone.”
“Alert! The energy ahead…”
The alarms issued by machines pulled Li Mu back to reality.
“Get ready to escape!” Li Mu instructed.
He immediately took out his communication device to contact Yi Hou.
“Beep, beep, beep…”
“Please don’t let anything happen to him!”
Li Mu was deeply worried.
After the sixth beep, the call got through.
“Elder Yi Hou, what’s the situation on your side?”
“What situation?” Yi Hou asked instead of answering.
Li Mu was taken aback.
“Hu Tianshan did not attack you?” he said in surprise and bewilderment.
But the communication device was silent. Two seconds later, Yi Hou’s voice sounded.
“Not until now. His 160 s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps are coming. How extravagant! Young Master Li, I’ll abandon this place. I’ll meet you on the Harmony Star. Young Master Li, come back alive!”
“Buzz!”
The call was disconnected.
Li Mu’s face became paler. His eyes revealed confusion.
“He intercepted the signal…”
He gazed at Hu Tianshan’s fleet in front of him in a daze.
“Hu Tianshan, you are truly too terrifying!”
Li Mu was suddenly enlightened.
The remarks Hu Tianshan said calmly just now might be a lie. He was trying to trick Li Mu into contacting Yi Hou so that he could capture Yi Hou’s signal and locate him.
“But…
“Isn’t the function of signal interception only available on king vessels?
“Could it be that the Tiger Talisman Royal Family has developed its own signal interception technology?”
“Alert. Alert…”
While all kinds of alarms were roaring, Li Mu laughed viciously and ordered, “Come on! Fire! Fight while retreating. D*mn it, I’m not a pushover!”
“All defenses are switched on.”
“Energy Cannons are charging.”
“The charging is over.”
“Magnetic Cannons are charging.”
“s.p.a.ce-shattering Cannons are charging!”
“Main Vessel Cannons are charging.”
“Charging finished.”
“Charging finished…”
Then, Li Mu let the commander handle the rest of the battle.
At this time, the commander standing next to Li Mu was sweating all over.
The disparity of the two parties’ strength was too staggering.
“Attack!”
“Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh…”
It was like a firework show.
The two fleets fired countless shots after they came within the shooting range.
All kinds of aircraft collided. All kinds of bombs blasted.
It was as if this part of the universe was about to be set on fire.
The people on the Dal Star were all flabbergasted.
“They’re already fighting?”
“Oh my G.o.d, they’re really battling!”
“The war between the Tiger Talisman Royal Family and Cloud Shadow Sky has broken out. This will affect the entire Sea Dragon Star Area!”
“The Sea Dragon Star Area is about to undergo a major reshuffle. What should we do?”
“Young Master Li is no match for the Tiger Talisman Royal Family. After the Tiger Talisman Royal Family deal with the Cloud Shadow Sky, do you think they will come and attack us? The other side is Hu Tianshan. If he and his army come, we can’t fend them off at all.”
Both sides in the battle were extremely nervous.
Those on the Dal Star were equally tense.
What did this mean?
It meant that this was an unprecedented battle.
The area it had influenced was too large!
“B-Boss!”
A subordinate suddenly screamed when he looked at the communication device.
“A battle! There is a battle!”
“I’m not blind!” the leader said coldly.
“No, I didn’t mean that battle going on here.”
The subordinate said in a trembling voice, “It’s on Tongnan Star. The Tiger Talisman Royal Family’s Tongnan Star has been attacked by the Cloud Shadow Sky. The garrison on it has been completely annihilated! More than 100,000 of their people have been killed or injured!
“The Profound Sea Sect just suffered a fierce attack from the Cloud Shadow Sky and was forced to flee in defeat. They abandoned the Profound Sea Star and suffered more than 500,000 casualties!
“The Cloud Shadow Sky’s ally, the Asura Sect has deployed a fleet to attack the Tiger Tally Royal Family’s ally, the Chipped Peak Sect. They have already occupied two planets.
“The Ice Heart Sect, the Rouge Sect, and the Precipice Sect, who are allies with the Tiger Talisman Royal Family, jointly attacked the planet the Cloud Shadow Heaven’s garrisoned in the Northern Sea Star Area and killed 200,000 of their people!
“The Tiger Tally Royal Family’s force on the Salu Star at the edge of the Northern Sea Star Area was just destroyed by the Cloud Shadow Sky. The surface of the planet was ruined. Three hundred thousand were killed. Not a single person on the Salu Star survived!”
“It’s chaos. The whole world is in chaos. There are so many pieces of news. I can’t read all of them. Every place is at war!
“This is insane!
“The Sea Dragon Star Area is in turmoil!
“The area of the battlefields has covered 50 percent of the Sea Dragon Star Area. More than half of this Star Area is at war. The number of battlefields is still increasing. Many forces can’t even escape.
“The Roland Star… The Roland Star is completely deserted. The King of Elves has fled to the Cloud Shadow Sky with his clansmen.
“The Tiger Talisman Royal Family’s Seven Apertures Star has been taken over by the Cloud Shadow Sky.”
“This…”
The leader of the forces on the Dal Star staggered.
He looked back at the Dal Star and found that there were not many fleets pa.s.sing by. Even the few ones he saw were flying away rapidly.
“It’s over!
“We can’t stay in the Sea Dragon Star Area any longer. Go! Let’s go!”
“We gotta run. Let’s discuss this after they finish fighting.”
“Tell everyone that we’re leaving for the Seven Fiends Star Area to lie low.”
Orders were issued one after another.
Then, they turned their eyes to the screen.
The battle ahead was being projected on the screen.
Various bombs were colliding in the void.
“Kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom…”
The explosions were gorgeous and colorful, which dazzled their eyes.
Sadly, the Tiger Talisman Royal Family’s firepower was simply too domineering.
Li Mu’s fleet couldn’t fight his attacks off at all. Heavy firepower bombarded over.
The second round of attacks was warded off.
But the third round arrived right away…
If the enemies only launched one round of attacks, then Li Mu could destroy them before they got close.
But that was just a hypothetical situation. The reality was that Hu Tianshan quickly launched the second round, the third round, and the fourth round attack.
Li Mu’s fleet couldn’t hold on for long!
“Rumble!”
The attacks bombarded the protective covers.
The energy level of the fleet was dropping sharply.
“Alert, energy storage has dropped to 17 percent.”
“Alert. The pressure in the energy cabin is too high.”
“Alert…”
Alarms sounded one after another, which made Li Mu quite fl.u.s.tered.
“Young Master Li, we can’t do this anymore. We can only use the rest of our energy on defense while we quickly fly out of the turbulent airflow and jump into the secondary s.p.a.ce to escape,” said the captain. “We need to abandon at least 20 corvettes to stall the enemy.”
“Twenty?” Li Mu’s face was pale. His expression was torn.
It was not because he begrudged forsaking the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps, but because this move would cost the lives of tens of thousands.
He hated this feeling of helplessness.
He did not want to decide the life and death of others.
But now, a single decision of his could send some of those on dozens of corvettes to h.e.l.l.
“Call Corvette Number 42.”
A middle-aged man appeared on the screen. He was the captain of Corvette Number 42.
With a calm face, he said, “Corvette Number 42 to 64 volunteer to bring up the rear. We’ve already sent out our aircraft. They might still have a chance at survival if they escape to the Lost Continent. As for us… hahahaha.”
The middle-aged man laughed. He looked at Li Mu as though his eyes had penetrated the screen.
He said softly and slowly, “Young Master Li, do you remember Squad Defiant Heaven? You saved our 130 members. We’ll never forget that. The staff from Corvette Number 42 to Number 64 are all members of Squad Defiant Heaven. We’re all here, hoping to repay your grace.”
While speaking, the middle-aged man clenched his right fist and thumped his chest.
Then, he said with a smile, “This is our choice. I hope Young Master Li will respect our decision. If… well, there is no ‘if’. We’ve been honored to work for you. Thank you, Young Master Li.”
“Buzz!”
The signal was cut off.
More than 20 corvettes left the fleet halfway through their retreat.
They veered around and faced Hu Tianshan’s fleet head-on.
Li Mu’s eyes turned red around the rims.
“Aaaah!”
The elegant and refined Young Master Li roared at this moment.
Anger, grievances, and sorrow filled Li Mu’s heart.
Everyone fell silent.
Even the captain, who was beside Li Mu, slowly raised his right hand and made a very solemn gesture.
Li Mu had worked with Squad Defiant Heaven.
He went on adventures with that squad for a long time.
He remembered every core member of the squad.
Unexpectedly, at this critical moment, they took the initiative to step forward.
They offered to die for their bosom friend and respected leader.
Under the gazes of Li Mu and others, the 22 corvettes fired at full capacity, burning their energy as if it couldn’t run out.
The people on the corvettes knew that they would have completed the task if they held up the enemies for one or two minutes.
There weren’t many people on these corvettes. Countless aircraft zoomed out and flew toward the Lost Continent.
This scene was clearly captured by the forces on the Dal Star.
Almost everyone had fixed their eyes on the battle.
They thought that the Tiger Talisman Royal Family would seize the 22 corvettes, which would be a big victory.
But what really happened was always beyond their expectations.
“Whoos.h.!.+”
All of a sudden, an energy wave was formed on one of the opponent’s main vessels. A streak of red light dashed toward the 22 corvettes at an extremely fast speed.
“What is that light?”
Just as the various attacks launched by the 22 corvettes were about to approach the opponent’s fleet—
“Swis.h.!.+”
The streak of red light suddenly expanded.
In an instant, it grew to a 100-foot-high… mecha!
“It’s Hu Tianshan’s mecha!”
“He made his move!”
The faces of everyone present changed dramatically.
At the same time, Hu Tianshan’s more than 100 s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps directly went to chase after Li Mu’s party.
It seemed that Hu Tianshan planned to destroy Li Mu’s fleet once for all.
“Kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom…”
All the firepower was directed at the red mecha.
The explosions sent flames across the void.
But everyone knew that this kind of firepower would not cause any trouble for Hu Tianshan.
“Swoos.h.!.+”
Sure enough, in the midst of the burning flames, the streak of red light suddenly appeared and quickly approached the corvettes. Hu Tianshan hadn’t even summoned his mechanical troops at all. Abruptly, a long broadsword materialized in his right hand.
In front of the nearest s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p, he slowly raised the long broadsword, as if declaring that he was going to launch a ma.s.sacre.
“Swis.h.!.+”
A beam of dazzling light appeared out of thin air. It turned into a jet of ten-thousand-foot-long broadsword light and hacked downward fiercely.
“Rumble!”
The corvette’s defense failed to withstand Hu Tianshan’s hack. It exploded on the spot.
It was like a crus.h.i.+ng ma.s.sacre.
In just two seconds, Hu Tianshan approached the second corvette.
It blew up the moment his broadsword light hit it. Then, he came to the third, the fourth…
Seeing this, Li Mu felt his body had become numb.
“Young Master Li! The enemy’s fleet is after us!” said the captain in a hurry.
“Flee as fast as possible. Get as many s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps out of here as we can.”
Li Mu had given up resisting.
At this time, resistance was equivalent to death.
Most of the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p’s energy was used in the thrusters. As long as they could jump into the secondary s.p.a.ce, they would be safe for the time being.
Hu Tianshan’s fleet continued to strike.
Their main vessels fired simultaneously at one corvette at a time. Their defenses simply couldn’t withstand the violent bombardment.
One by one, the corvettes burst into flames behind Li Mu.
In this way, two minutes later, Li Mu’s fleet was about to jump into the secondary s.p.a.ce.
He turned around to look at the void behind him.
He found that Hu Tianshan’s fleet was no longer chasing him.
Jets of broadsword light flashed past. The aircraft headings for the Lost Continent were slashed and blasted in large groups.
The brand new s.p.a.ce station presented the largest explosion on the battlefield.
Under the b.a.l.l.s of flames were pieces of sc.r.a.p metal.
He also saw that hundreds of beams of light were shooting toward the buildings on the Lost Continent.
At this time, Li Mu’s eyes gradually turned cold. He clenched his fists and stared fixedly at the red mecha.
“Hu Tianshan!
“One day, when I’ve gathered enough power…”
“Swis.h.!.+”
In the distance, Hu Tianshan slowly raised the long broadsword in its hand and pointed it at the main vessel that Li Mu was on.
He seemed to be saying that this battle had just begun.
What do you amount to in the eyes of the royal family of the Tiger Tally?
“Hu Tianshan is too powerful.”
Watching the battle, the people on the Dal Star trembled with fear.
“He crushed so many s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps on his own!”
“In this battle between fleets, the combat ability he’s displayed is comparable to that of a Yuan Ying Realm Peak-Stage cultivator.”
“It’s gone. It’s all gone. The construction the Cloud Shadow Sky has been working on here for two months has been destroyed during the last two minutes. This is war. And war is brutal!”
While these people were discussing—
“Swoos.h.!.+”
The few remaining s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps in Li Mu’s fleet leaped into the secondary s.p.a.ce and disappeared.
“Do you see how many s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps are left in the Cloud Shadow Sky’s fleet?”
“I guess it’s around thirty.”
“This is terrifying. More than half of their fleet has been destroyed. Hu Tianshan has won gloriously. The Cloud Shadow Sky has suffered a disastrous loss.”
“The war is on.”
“Yes. Every place is at war.”
“Hiss, Hu Tianshan’s fleet is flying in our direction, isn’t it?”
“Run! Just run!”