A sixty-year cycle passed in the blink of an eye.
In the starry expanse along Daluo Star's frontline orbit, the hastily constructed defenses of old had become as impregnable as a fortress of gold.
The nature of war had also quietly evolved through sixty years of adjustment and conflict. To counter the devious methods of the demonic cultivators and the tide of Demonic Beasts, the Mystic Sect, Heaven Sect, and even the Demon Race had all poured immense resources into developing war machines.
To gain an advantage in the brutal war of attrition, the Mystic Sect, Heaven Sect, and Demon Race had all, without prior agreement, invested vast resources to establish institutions devoted to researching war technology.
Relying on its immense ability to marshal resources and its profound foundation in the wood element, the Taiyan Sect established the "Pivot Institute." Not only did it study traditional formations in depth, it also focused on combining living spirit plants with defensive fortifications, cultivating "Symbiotic Barriers" capable of self-repair and even devouring faint traces of demonic qi.
The Vajra Temple's "Artifact Court," meanwhile, took a fierce and forceful path. They deeply fused the Buddhist power of vajra with runic knowledge, creating heavy assault ships with extraordinary defensive and demon-breaking properties. The Energy Cannons empowered at their prows had become sharp blades that tore through demon tides.
Linshui Prefecture excelled at transformations of the water element and the art of concealment, and its "Research Institute" specialized in disruption, camouflage, and infiltration techniques.
The Earth Cave Sect's "Earth Origin Pavilion" leaned toward the binding power of earth and gravity control. The Gravity Traps they developed could instantly and drastically increase gravity within a localized area, slowing enemy flying vessels or even causing their structures to collapse outright.
The Yuqing Sect's "Qingwei Institute" specialized in pure-yang