Mother Ship

Amid the ruins, more than a dozen seventh-rank Bug People faced Li Qi as though confronting a great enemy, surrounding him while their leader shouted the truth—that Li Qi was not from the Forward Alliance.

No one from the Forward Alliance could reach such a level. Their understanding of martial arts was laughably shallow; they did not even possess Martial Way Divine Intent. The instant they were ambushed, they were beaten back step by step.

Yet this man before them, though he likewise possessed no Martial Way Divine Intent, had martial arts so exquisite they were utterly outrageous.

When masters crossed blows, the battle looked fierce, but the Bug People leader only felt his fists and legs clogging and stalling. It was as if every move and stance had already been anticipated by his foe. Li Qi seemed able to foresee the future, always intercepting the Bug People leader's attacks midway and preventing him from bringing his full strength to bear. A slash that should have contained ten parts of force could not even unleash half a part; all the strength was wasted in conflicts within himself.

The combined force that made up his attack, with a single provocation from Li Qi, rebelled against itself. It was like a neat, swift stream of traffic where one car suddenly braked, causing every car behind it to rear-end the next in a chain collision. A series of massive crashes followed, blocking the entire road so completely that not a single vehicle could get through.

It was that mysterious. He could not understand how it was done at all, yet the other party had done it. This was not the work of the Forward Alliance. This was even more... the work of another High Civilization.

And the man before him was unquestionably an