The Legendary Legend of Kang De

Nixiyasi at least compromised.

Although she still wanted to bury her father back in her hometown, she no longer insisted on carrying his coffin back herself.

Because the journey would take a long time and be prone to unexpected events, in order to avoid becoming the trigger for World War I, the admiral decided to bring her father home via space jump.

After burying Father, we'll bring Mother to Distant Harbor in the same way, perhaps with other family members as well... if they agree.

The messenger carrying the space beacon is on its way to her hometown; it will probably take another two or three days.

Seeing this, Kang De was deploying and burying space beacons into various countries through caravans, spies, and airdrops, a fact that horrified Nixiyasi, a veteran of the military.

After all, she had already witnessed firsthand just how unreasonable the phase abilities of the Dragon of Cathay were. The carrier of the imprint coordinates could be made extremely small and could be attached to any object of a certain volume, which meant that he had a hundred ways to open a portal to wherever he wanted.

Nixiyasi was a soldier and knew the importance of mobility. Following Kang De's method, he could deploy an elite army to any location within enemy territory at any time, as long as the teleportation coordinates were deployed and hidden in advance—whether it was a granary, a government building, a commercial hub, or a national capital.

To plunder and destroy all the teleportation points marked with spatial beacons across the vast territory is undoubtedly a pipe dream, but without solving this problem, any war with Kang De would be a nightmare.

After considering some countermeasures, Nixiyasi despairingly discovered that there was almost no solution.

Even considering only the cards Kang De has already revealed, and disregarding Forbidden Spell, the battle against the Dragon of Cathay is extremely difficult, and regardless of victory or defeat, a huge price will be paid.

Moreover, it will become increasingly difficult as time goes on—because of population movement and commercial activities, even if all contact with Distant Harbor is completely severed, Kang De can still rely on high-flying aerial vehicles to drop space beacons directly, and the Council still be helpless.

No monarch or marshal would want to fight against such an opponent.

But...

It has nothing to do with me anymore.

I glanced out the window. Outside, the ethereal landscape of the Broken Isles stretched out before me. Waves rose and fell, warships cruised the seas, and the memorial to fallen soldiers faced southeast, where the Arcane Council was located.

Nixiyasi smiled and tucked a strand of hair that had fallen down as she looked down behind her ear.

"Hyperspace jumps bring unparalleled maneuverability and strategic advantages, advantages that could almost overturn all existing war concepts. The Council not allow this advantage to continue."

"Or rather, none of the countries would allow it."

"In other words, the anti-phase system and the theory of spatial continuity detection are about to become hot topics in the Arcane. Together with super-heavy defensive magical artifacts that target Forbidden Spell, they will become the strategic cornerstone for curbing the expansion of Distant Harbor... Given the Arcane foundations and full-scale promotion by the major powers, we must be cautious about the future, namely, the possibility that the advantage of hyperspace mobility will be squeezed out, or even disappear."

She paused here.

Then I picked up my pen and continued.

"We must continue to improve our hyperspace warfare doctrine and operational concepts, and always maintain our equipment and strategic advantages, because the disparity in size is objectively obvious, and the vigilance of other nations is a real concern that will not be diminished in the slightest by personal friendships at the monarchical level or so-called international cooperation."

"Even the relatively close-knit countries of Twilight Moon and Dragon Island will not slow down their research and development of anti-phase systems and space detection technology. As long as the major powers achieve results using their strong Arcane research capabilities, Distant Harbor's current advantages and initiative in international affairs will cease to exist."

"To avoid this problem once and for all and maintain an advantage forever, there are only two solutions."

"First, it possesses a national scale and Arcane heritage comparable to that of the great powers."

"Second, completely eliminate the possibility of potential competitors catching up."

"These two approaches use roughly the same methods, only the results differ."

Nixiyasi held the pen in mid-air for a moment, then took a deep breath.

His expression was calm and solemn.

The solution is...

She put down her pen for a moment, her wine-red eyes no longer holding the tenderness and wildness of that night. She looked up to the southeast, Nixiyasi eyes cold and icy, a chilling intensity rippling calmly like the sea itself.

In recent days, among the prisoners of war of the Azure Fleet, she has only met with the training squadron.

--Those soldiers who were indignant about her fate, either complaining privately or speaking out for justice, and who ended up being sent to the suicide squad as the first batch of prisoners, are now in charge of others.

As for the more than 10,000 soldiers who were later captured, she did not see any of them, nor did she intend to.

She also told Kang De very directly that even if she were to lead troops for Kang De in the future, she would never lead any of these soldiers, for a very simple reason.

"If I were to lead them, I would not hesitate to use them as a suicide squad. I would never choose conservative tactics out of concern for the lives of my soldiers. Although that would bring victory, the casualty rate would certainly be very high. Considering their considerable value now, I'd better not."

The implication was quite clear.

Whether these soldiers acted out of their own volition, were instigated by others, were due to their own stupidity, or were driven by greed... none of that matters anymore.

Whether they are truly remorseful or not.

Whether or not they feel guilty towards their former superiors.

--Nixiyasi has no intention of forgiving them in this lifetime.

People often undergo drastic changes in temperament and personality after experiencing major events. For example, a kind person may become ruthless, an honest person may become crazy, and a benevolent person may become cruel. These changes are easily noticeable and, relatively speaking, not so troublesome.

What's truly terrifying is what looks almost exactly the same as before.

All the upheavals and upheavals were suppressed deep within their hearts by souls as cold as iron, roaring at the world in a ferocious crimson. This was true of Nixiyasi, and it was true of Kang De.

It was precisely because of this that, on the night before she decided to leave, the admiral discovered the illusion and true nature of Kang De hidden deep in his soul. That fool thought it was his clumsy persuasion and performance that won back his heart. Nixiyasi knew that what attracted her and made her decide to stay was that fragile soul that firmly suppressed madness, cold-bloodedness, cruelty, and cowardice in its heart.

She was drawn to it, like a moth drawn to a lamp, like a DD encountering a VTuber.

She wanted to stay and see if the oppressive flames would warm the world or burn it to ashes.

At this thought, a hint of intoxication flashed in her eyes. Her thin clothes, radiating warmth from the air conditioning, outlined her perfect body. She quickly felt hot, and with a flick of her finger, her mental energy extended, causing the blinds to swung down, locking the room and quietly activating a soundproofing spell.

Her firm thighs rubbed against each other as Nixiyasi half-lay on the table, her trembling hands roaming over her voluptuous body, sometimes reaching the peaks, sometimes plunging into the valleys. She opened her rosy lips, her tongue half-exposed, and breathed out sweet gasps as she recalled the memories of that night.

It's probably broken.

The closer she got to Kang De, the more she wanted to get closer. She could clearly see the raging fire in his heart, so intense, so dark. After witnessing this man's benevolent, compassionate, selfless, and generous acts of saving the world, she always wondered what kind of destruction that suppressed, violent fire could bring.

She remembered someone's agonizing screams.

That Osko envoy kidnapped her, killed her father, and was then captured by the Arcane hunters. At that time, he had his legs and arms cut off and should have bled to death, but Councilor Aokexindun saved his life at all costs... In the end, he fell into the hands of Nixiyasi.

The admiral's daughter, burdened with the hatred of her father's murder, completed her revenge.

This cunning, selfish, and vicious scoundrel had his back ripped open, his ribs broken and bent outwards. Before that, he had been given a large dose of life potion and had his life potential stimulated and his soul strengthened with a scroll of vitality to ensure that he would die from a long and cruel agony.

This was a form of torture that the former Nixiyasi would never have used. The former admiral, upholding the honor and responsibility of a soldier, would not hesitate to kill the enemy, but would never torture them for the purpose of death. The difference between the two is the gap between an honorable army and a despicable pirate.

But there's no point in talking about it now.

She will never forgive those foolish and selfish soldiers.

She killed her enemy, the special envoy Osko, in the most brutal way.

But the fooled pawns and manipulated pieces are dead, yet the culprit that caused all this remains.

The loyalty of generals was desecrated, the honor of soldiers was stripped away, the glorious fleet fell apart, the officers and soldiers who were once united turned their backs on them one after another, countless people died, countless people became prisoners, and countless people's fates were changed... How could such a great hatred not be avenged?

Just as Kang De harbored boundless hatred and murderous intent in his heart, I too will carry out my revenge.

Kang De, let's burn away all the decay and sin together...

The thought of that person sent a surge of intense emotion through her body. She arched her back abruptly, biting her jade-like arm, her tightly pressed legs trembling uncontrollably. Her heavy breasts heaved violently against the edge of the table, her exquisite profile flushed crimson, and passionate breaths escaped from the corners of her mouth as she gasped silently...

But in his wine-red eyes, intense passion and calm madness intertwined.

It's like an interplay of ice and fire.

Once she had calmed down a bit, she leaned on the table, her eyes fixed on the report and suggestions she had written earlier. Her trembling fingers still steadily gripped the pen, and she wrote down her judgments and recommendations.

"War of conquest."

The solution to the problem is...

"Or, pure war."

Above the nine heavens, within the Star Palace.

Apophis slowly exhaled.

He received a divine decree that he had no choice but to send two members to the Mortal World when the Starry Firmament Bridge was broken and the true nature of the lower realm was unknown. But bad news came immediately.

A few days later, Bennu, who had been chosen by lot to go to the Western Continent to investigate the situation, was killed in the Mortal World. With one of his already few colleagues left behind lost, morale was somewhat unstable.

After waiting a few more days, good news finally came back.

The good news came from Phaethon, who were heading east to the continent—their master had ordered them to seek out their enemy, Kang De, in the Mortal World. Although the spelling of the name was unknown, the pronunciation clearly suggested he was from Cathayan.

After bidding farewell to Bennu, Phaethon crossed the ocean under the starry night and arrived in the land of the East.

Although the Eastern Kingdom is already teetering on the brink of collapse due to the Star Palace's repeated schemes and attacks, it still has a vast territory and a large population. Searching for a person named "Kang De" among so many people, and knowing nothing about him except his name, is clearly a needle in a haystack.

After Bennu was killed, Apophis didn't expect Phaethon to amount to anything; he just hoped he wouldn't get killed too... But after a series of upheavals and blows, good news finally arrived.

Phaethon, upon arriving in the East, effortlessly learned of Kang De's whereabouts.

Because you can find out about him by just grabbing anyone.

"So well-known... Hmph, how could the enemy that Master specifically named be someone unknown?"

After gathering enough information, Phaethon spent two or three days finding the ruins of his former camp in the Mortal World. Using the abandoned equipment inside, he made contact with Apophis.

He also submitted all the information he could find about Kang De.

"Descendants of the founding dukes..."

"A pact of intermarriage between the founding emperor and his descendants was established..."

"Their ancestors, however, fled overseas..."

"In other words, he's the Empress's future husband..."

"Responding to the celestial stars, possessing both literary and martial talents, bestowed a mandate by the Heavenly Emperor, enlightened by a sage, and Divine Foot by the Buddha, Laozi presented him with the Tusita Treasure, commanding him to descend to the mortal realm to assist the ruler and save the nation from peril..."

"They are currently expanding their grand ambitions overseas, sweeping across the lands, and must mobilize the entire Western Army to return to the capital and defend against foreign invaders..."

All sorts of news and intelligence concerned the legend of Kang De, a legend that even ancient heroes and demigods could not match.

All sorts of stories, from smashing the water vat as a child to making resolutions as an adult, and even numerous legendary tales from beyond the borders, exude a terrifying aura and radiate a danger that must not be allowed to remain.

The God of the Star Palace, having lived in the heavens for so long and far removed from the Mortal World, had become somewhat dull-witted and failed to realize that this was just one-sided commercial hype. After reading this long string of words, the Star of Divine Destruction was filled with dread and took it extremely seriously.

That makes sense.

Such a powerful lower realm creature, no wonder it attracted the master's attention.

If the owner weren't away, I would have thought this was the new Fire Thief.

And most importantly...

Apophis's eyes flashed with a sharp light. "Phaethon went for nothing... That Kang De is in the Western Continent!"

That makes sense.

Kang De is in the Western Continent, and the previous defeats suffered by the Star Palace, the fall of many gods, and the terrifying spear of light that pierced the sky and destroyed the star rings are all in the Western Continent.

Most of the strange things that have happened during this period are related to this Kang De.

Apophis fell into deep thought.

In the message, Phaethon asked, "What should be the next step?"

The God of the Star Palace who had narrowly escaped Kang De gave him vicious advice: Kang De was not in the Eastern Continent, but his plan was to integrate the power of the Western Continent and save his homeland. So before he returned, try every means to hasten the demise of Cathay, so that his backyard would be on fire and beyond saving.

Apophis sneered at this.

He knew Phaethon's true thoughts—this guy was terrified by Bennu's light-speed death, and since Kang De wasn't on the Eastern Continent, he was naturally willing to run wild here.

"We can't do that."

He relayed the message: "I will also instruct those servants to slow their offensive... Since they are such powerful Netherworld beings, and specifically chosen by our master, we must go all out. We cannot act rashly before the pioneers of the Land of the End return, lest we disturb Kang De."

Phaethon quickly asked, "Then what do I need to do?"

"... Go to the Western Continent. You must set off for the Western Continent immediately."

Apophis gazed at the projected map of the Mortal World and outlined a route for Phaethon: "Follow this path, avoid Kang De's territory, and you won't be discovered. With the Starry Firmament Bridge broken, we can't contact our servants in the Western Continent; those spies should be activated as soon as possible."

Despite the abundance of information, Apophis still managed to glean the information he sought from these terrifying legends— Kang De's identity, Kang De's whereabouts, and Kang De's purpose.

He is in the Western Continent, aiming to unite its forces to rescue his homeland.

Since that's the case, I'll leave you stuck in the quagmire of the Western Continent until the pioneers return.

"The lower realm beings are selfish and self-serving, always suspicious and at odds with each other. If Kang De wants to gather the power of the Western Continent, he will definitely use force to unify them, and the other lower realm beings will certainly not be willing to accept that."

He glanced at the location of the Broken Isles and roughly estimated the extent of Kang De's influence. The Star Palace had some understanding of the Mortal World... albeit a very basic one.

"The Arcane Council... I had previously tried to offer them some help and guidance, and now it seems that the most likely major power to engage in military conflict with Kang De is undoubtedly the Council."

He instructed, "Take the Star Orbit Instrument and follow the route I gave you to the southern part of the Western Continent. Re-establish contact with me and gather information. Inquire whether Kang De Council... Also, investigate the political situation in the Western Continent. Although we cannot descend upon the Mortal World on a large scale and destroy them now, we can, as we agreed before, provide some assistance to these Mudbloods who love infighting."

Apophis chuckled coldly as he finished speaking.

Even the Star Palace suffered several major losses in a row, so the Mud Seed must be beaten so badly that they can't even lift their heads.

However, the depth of the Star Palace's foundation is beyond the imagination of such beings in the lower realms.

He analyzed Kang De's methods from the numerous stories and legends, and then used the vast amount of knowledge accumulated in the Star Palace to entangle Kang De in the quagmire of war.

Massive destruction spells, powerful mechanical manufacturing capabilities, and... Phase Teleportation abilities.

"The first and third are the most troublesome, the second is just right."

The voice of the Star of Divine Destruction echoed from the palace, resounding through the void.

"Infinite Divine Mechanism, give me two copies of the Wisdom Codex."