At a mysterious space node, unstable spatial ripples churn all around; even a Sacred Emperor would likely not dare to act rashly here.
Just as the Frostbane Dynasty's Grand Army was about to clash with Dragon-Chen Hall in a battle of life and death, a fierce fight erupted here as well.
Boom!
A sweep of scarlet sword-light slashed out, while Kellan Lin's sleeve unfurled with blossoms of violet petals, effortlessly dissolving every attack.
Holden Hong's eyes turned cold—who the hell was this man? The moment his Holy Emperor Avatar struck, it was instantly crippled by this guy, and even going all out with his true body, Holden still couldn't gauge his depth. Since when did a monster of this caliber appear in the Star-River Dominion?
Even stranger, this person didn't seem to belong to any of the Five Sacred Lands. He'd suddenly appeared without a trace of killing intent—was he just here to stall for time?
“Such overwhelming cultivation, such unfathomable and bizarre techniques—just who are you?”
Kellan Lin still said nothing. Behind his icy mask was a strikingly handsome face. His long, pale fingers moved once more, and a giant net like a barrier descended from the sky, covering everything below.
“Again!”
Holden Hong was furious—this was already the third time! The net itself wasn't very lethal, but every time it fell, he'd have to waste huge amounts of time and power to break through it.
This was a space rift node; time here flowed much faster than in the Star-River Dominion—typically at least five times faster. What's more, the Stellar Power consumed here couldn't be replenished quickly, and for experts fighting at a level nearly equal to ordinary Sacred Emperors, regular Starstones just couldn't keep up with their consumption.
Only with enough high-grade Star Crystals could the battle continue! Now, after fighting for so long, Holden Hong's strength was clearly waning, while Kellan Lin still had energy to spare. And Kellan hadn't even unleashed his Holy Emperor Avatar yet!
“Whatever your identity is, it doesn't matter now! If you think you can stop me here at Frostbane Dynasty's moment of crisis, you're just dreaming!”
“Oh? So you're finally ready to use your real power? I can't wait.” Kellan Lin finally spoke for the first time, but Holden Hong still frowned, unable to figure out who this person was.
Impossible! In the southeastern Star-River Dominion, there's no one at this level of cultivation that I, Holden Hong, don't know! Even within Star-Treasure Pavilion, I've heard of every top expert, and this guy's techniques clearly aren't from Star-Treasure Pavilion...
“I get it! You're from the Central World, aren't you? But why would you stop me? Are you here to help Evan Chu?”
Kellan Lin saw Holden Hong muttering to himself and didn't bother to respond, just kept weaving that giant net as he pleased.
“Hmph! Whatever your goal is, forget it! No one can stop me—Holden Hong is invincible!”
Suddenly, Holden Hong roared, and a strange power burst out from his body. Kellan Lin's eyes narrowed—this energy felt completely unfamiliar, and there was something terrifying about it. What was this power?!
Boom boom boom!
Energy storms clashed, tearing open more space rifts. The two fought until the battle reached its boiling point—after three hours, Kellan Lin finally went from effortless to barely able to stand. After his left shoulder was seriously wounded for the first time, he was forced to summon his Holy Emperor Avatar!
Meanwhile, back at the Frostbane Dynasty's base star-region millions of li away, a brutal battle was raging. The carnage was so intense it was hard to look straight at it—just in the first hour, casualties on both sides exceeded ten thousand.
On the battlefield, human life was the cheapest thing there was. The first corpses to fall would probably not even leave bones behind in the end. Energy storms howled and exploded like rolling thunder, sweeping across everything without distinction—sometimes even friend and foe were mixed together.
Yet the Frostbane side's forces really were the elite troops Holden Hong had secretly cultivated. Even though they fought with wild, chaotic methods, just the first clash left Dragon-Chen's side bleeding heavily.
These Holy Emperors were especially fierce, completely fearless of death. They threw their cultivation and power around like it was worthless, fighting and howling nonstop. The space in this Star-River Dominion was thick with blood mist and the stench of gore.
Everywhere around, the air was blood-red. Anyone passing through here, even if they weren't fighting, would still get swept up in the slaughter. Just imagine—thousands packed together, each throwing a punch, that alone was a terrifying scene.
And most of these people were peak late-stage Saint Lords, or even Saint Lord experts and Saint Venerables.
Every vice commander, every squad leader here was a rare master—just reaching this realm had cost countless years, resources, and effort. But today, all gathered together, a single spear throw could skewer nine people, three of them Saint Lords, and if you were lucky, maybe even two Saint Venerables with one strike.
Life here was just that cheap. Hot blood spilled across the battlefield—whether you were once glorious or fallen, as long as you stood here, none of it mattered. All that was left was victory or defeat!
“Kill!”
“Anyone who fears battle isn't worthy to be a Dragon-Chen man!”
“Slay the enemy commanders, seal the territory, and win cultivation stars as reward!”
“For Dragon-Chen—fight!”
The value of morale and the soul of the army was on full display at this moment—the difference between a true steel legion and a ragtag band was clear as day.
The Frostbane Dynasty's soldiers were fierce, but lacked discipline. Their damage was limited, and when the vanguard commander charged ahead alone, he naturally fell into Desmond Mansfield's trap.
“Strength may let you survive for a while, but brains let you live for a lifetime! These guys may be powerful, but they're mindless—what's the difference between them and trained puppets or cannon fodder?”
Living like this is no different from being a walking corpse—and they're helping a villain like Holden Hong do his evil.
People like that are better off wiped out early.
“That's easier said than done, isn't it?” Warren Wu twitched his lips—Desmond Mansfield was really talking big, and even he wouldn't dare make such claims.
“Oh? Hard, is it? Just watch—maybe it's time I stretched my legs a bit myself.”
“Wait! Desmond Mansfield, don't do anything reckless! If something happens to you and Hall Master Chu isn't here, our whole side will be thrown into chaos!”
“Heh, relax—I value my life more than anyone! But if I don't show my true strength, those guys will never accept me as Vice Hall Master. Evan Chu is destined for greater things, and as his first deputy, if no one trusts me, even Evan will start doubting my ability.”
As soon as Desmond finished speaking, his starship battleship soared into the air—a massive shockwave burst out, and Desmond's figure vanished from Warren Wu's sight, charging straight toward the enemy lines.
If anyone still thought Astro-Divination Canon was just empty theory, they'd die very quickly.