Once a civilization entered the Gene Era, ordinary people gained formidable combat power with the aid of technology. As a result, the old warfare model of flagships bombarding each other was completely overturned, returning instead to the cold-weapon combat of massive armies clashing head-on.
Seeing this, some people might not be able to resist saying, "With technology this advanced, instead of developing high-end strategic weapons, you're having people hack at each other with swords? Isn't that crazy?"
Psh, Asgardian technology in the Marvel universe was so advanced, and they still used cold weapons, didn't they?
All right, ignore that little rant above. Let's give everyone a simple explanation.
Take the current Angel Civilization, for example. Under the Gene Era, the Angel Civilization had not abandoned research into high-end strategic weapons. They had quite a few of them as well. For instance, the Tiangong Ship was itself an enormous warship. A single Dark Energy Particle Beam from its primary energy cannon could destroy a planet without much difficulty.
However, there were many forces scattered throughout the universe, and quite a few civilizations had entered the Gene Era. You might have planet-destroying weapons, but my Star-Freezing Strategic Cannon was just as powerful. With sufficient energy supplied, once fired, it could freeze a planet's core and achieve the same effect of destroying a planet.
But... when two armies fought, no one dared to do that!
After all, if two civilizations of equal strength truly escalated a war to that extent, then even victory would be a pyrrhic one. In the end, they would inevitably be swallowed up by other opponents. Therefore, no matter how great the enmity between major civilizations, they all exercised extreme restraint to avoid such a situation. It was the same principle as Nuclear Restriction between great powers.
As for the warfare model of hacking at each other with swords, let's continue using the Angel Civilization as an example. The development of technology perfected angels' wing genes, granting them the ability to survive in outer space. Their flight speed was simply beyond comparison with flagship spacecraft. Having an angel pilot a warship into battle would be completely restricting them.
A single Angel Warrior could fly at tremendous speed, maneuver with nimble and unpredictable movements, present a small target that was difficult to hit, and unleash attacks of astonishing power through converted Dark Energy.
The Scientific Research Council had once conducted an experiment. With coordinated cooperation, a small number of Angel Warriors could easily wipe out a well-equipped fleet formation of an Aerospace Civilization.
The conclusion was this: under equal destructive power, the smaller the size and the faster the speed, the greater the advantage in battle!
With that comparison, who would still use bulky spacecraft and warships that were difficult to control and required constant maintenance? Angel Warriors did not need maintenance, after all. And as long as they did not die in battle, their "service life" was measured in thousands or even tens of thousands of years. Quite cost-effective, wasn't it?
So, as the times advanced and technology innovated, changes in the nature of warfare became inevitable!
After returning to the cold-weapon warfare model of armies clashing head-on, the demands placed on weapons became increasingly stringent. Ordinary alloy weapons found it difficult to serve much purpose in war.
For this reason, Hua Que had specifically ordered the Scientific Research Council of the Heavenly Palace to spare no effort in developing new weapons. After a long period of time, the council finally forged a brand-new standard weapon for the military—a Dark Alloy Longsword infused with trace amounts of Dark Element!!
The great hall was silent. The surroundings were so quiet that one could hear breaths rising and falling. Everyone's gaze was focused on the Second Prince, Hua Tuo, standing in the center of the hall.
A problem the Scientific Research Council had been unable to overcome despite expending vast amounts of time and resources had been solved by the Second Prince? How was that possible?!
"Old... Old Second, is what you said true?!" The Old Angel King stared fixedly at the exquisitely crafted longsword in his hand, his voice trembling. It was difficult to imagine that someone of such supreme status could lose his composure like this.
Hua Tuo nodded. "In reply to Father King, two years ago, while fighting the Horton Civilization, I chose Namerz Star as a temporary base. There, we discovered a mine. After inspection by personnel from the accompanying Construction Department, we found that it contained a certain dark matter element of unimaginably high purity!"
"That Dark Sacred Silver you mentioned?"
"Yes, Father King. When I said earlier that it could cut through anything, I was not boasting. After forging this weapon, I conducted tests. I used our ordinary Standard Longswords against it, and before I even exerted any strength, they had already been cut into two pieces. I then found other high-strength alloys, but the results were still the same!"
"Oh?" Hua Que's interest was piqued. He pointed to an Angel Commander below and ordered him to come forward and try it. The commander did not dare delay. With a swish, he drew the weapon from his waist and handed it to Hua Tuo.
Hua Tuo lightly weighed it twice. "If I'm not mistaken, this Standard Longsword should be the Scientific Research Council's latest successful creation. Its strength is indeed much greater than before, but..."
As he spoke, he casually tapped the Dark Sacred Silver Weapon against the longsword. Then something utterly unexpected happened. When the two weapons met, not even the faintest clanging sound could be heard. Like slicing tofu, a section of the Standard Longsword was cleanly cut away.
"Gasp~"
The only sound remaining in the great hall was everyone drawing in cold breaths. All eyes were wide with disbelief.
Tch, it only cut apart an ordinary Dark Alloy Weapon. Was that really worth being so shocked over? That was a Silver Blade-class weapon capable of easily cutting through even a Fourth Generation Divine Body! A trace of disdain flashed across Hua Zhen's face.
Who knows whether this Second Prince was generous or simply foolish? He actually gave me a Dark Sacred Silver Dagger so casually. What a sucker, hehe...
Hua Zhen looked at the Second Prince's back and chuckled mischievously, unaware that Consort Xin Yao, who had been watching him all along, had seen every bit of his expression.
As though he had long expected everyone's reaction, Hua Tuo casually tossed away the broken sword. Facing Hua Ye's blazing gaze, he teased, "If Big Brother had possessed a Dark Sacred Silver Weapon like mine back then, I imagine the task of forging Father King's Divine Statue might have been completed in less than five years~"
Hua Ye's expression changed instantly, and a vicious gleam flashed through his eyes. "Old Second, aren't you afraid of biting your tongue with such boasts? I admit that your so-called Dark Sacred Silver Weapon is very sharp, but thinking it can cut through Neutron Rock is rather wishful, isn't it?"
"When you forged Father King's Divine Statue, Big Brother, you should still have quite a few scraps left over, right? Why not... bring some over, and we can test it before Father King?"
"Heh, I refuse to believe it. Su Ma Li..."
"Enough, both of you!" Hua Que had no interest in listening to them argue. After sharply interrupting them, he said to Hua Tuo, "Old Second, quickly present the weapon in your hand for me to inspect!"
An improvement in weapon quality was of vital importance to the current Angel Civilization. If weapons like Dark Sacred Silver could be mass-produced, the Angel Civilization's overall strength would rise to a higher level.
He Zheng's brows furrowed tightly. He exchanged a glance with his son, He Xuan, and both saw a trace of helplessness in each other's eyes. They had lost this contest during the Angel King's Millennial Birthday Celebration!
The Angel King indeed cared about appearances, but what he valued more was the foundation he had built with his own hands. Old Second Hua Tuo had discovered a material like Dark Sacred Silver and forged brand-new Dark Alloy Weapons. Compared with Hua Ye's Divine Statue that would "endure forever," this contribution was far greater.
Sounds of astonished praise rang out without end. Each time they did, Hua Ye's face darkened further. That was simply his personality—he could not hide his emotions. Put another way, he wore his feelings on his face.
Seeing that everything was unfolding exactly as he expected, Hua Tuo stepped forward two paces and suddenly bowed. "Father King, I wish to request authority to deploy the Construction Department!"
"You really dare to ask, Old Second!" Hua Ye's face suddenly darkened. "The Construction Department belongs to who do you—"
Hua Que raised a hand to interrupt him. "Granted. For the coming period, the Construction Department will be entirely under your command, Old Second. You must find more Dark Sacred Silver Mines..."
"Please rest assured, Father King. I will not disappoint you!"
"Father King!!"
Hua Que frowned at Hua Ye. "Big Brother, I turned a blind eye to however you two quarreled before, but this concerns the future of the Angel Civilization. It is a matter of utmost importance. Put aside your petty thoughts, and when the time comes, give Old Second your full support in finding Dark Sacred Silver Mines. Do you understand?"
"I... yes, Father King!" Hua Ye was burning with jealousy, yet he did not dare disobey. Gritting his teeth, he answered with utter unwillingness.
Before you continue