Time flew by like a young maiden's springtime heart. In the blink of an eye, a hundred years passed.
With everyone on Xuanshen Island working together, the Empire's situation quickly settled down, and the Interstellar Federation was officially established.
The Federation's first act was to launch sweeping reforms, from top to bottom and across every sector. No one was allowed to oppose them.
There was still one advantage to a fantasy world: when its rulers wanted to reform, vested interests couldn't stop them.
A single word from a god-level powerhouse was enough. Everyone, from top to bottom, had to obey. Anyone who dared resist had only one fate: death.
The military was restructured, and discipline and combat capability were strengthened. At the same time, the soldiers' conduct changed, gradually shifting from being feared by the people to being respected by them.
Under the Federation's system, the old nobility was abolished, and the government took back vast tracts of land. With the Federation's help, many commoners received enough land of their own.
Although the Magic Universe produced abundant grain, the nobles' excessive waste meant that commoners in some small villages and towns still didn't have enough to eat.
To address this, the Federation cracked down on the nobles and improved the way resources were distributed.
Meanwhile, with help from the Academy of Sciences, agriculture was mechanized, and yields of all kinds of crops soared.
In just a few short months, the Federation ensured that everyone had enough to eat.
Transportation across the Federation also kept improving, thanks to the efforts of the council. All kinds of trains, and even civilian aircraft, began to make their mark on history.
Better transportation brought a surge in merchants, which in turn enabled resources to be freely exchanged between regions.
In addition, countless schools were established throughout the land, giving every child the chance to receive an education. There were not only the traditional warrior and magic academies, but also vocational schools that offered less gifted children a way forward.
As seafaring technology continued to improve, merchants realized it was more profitable to cross the ocean directly and trade with the two great churches on the other side of the continent.
Soon, countless merchant fleets began plying new trade routes across the sea, selling their goods to the two great churches, which had once been the farthest markets from the Federation. With those markets untapped, the merchants made a fortune.
The Federation's economy boomed, driven by both land and sea trade.
Meanwhile, the academies trained a wealth of talented people, who poured into various scientific fields over the following decades. The entire tech tree began to advance, and the Federation flourished.
This was a day the entire continent would remember.
In the future histories of the Federation, this day would mark a turning point for the Interstellar Federation and the beginning of the continent's unification.
In the Federation's western reaches, in an uninhabited part of the Sara Desert, people dressed in green went in and out in groups, each with a solemn expression.
Inside the laboratory, white-coated technicians pounded away at their keyboards. Data flashed across screen after screen. Everyone looked grave, not daring to blink.
"Lord Huosi, everything is ready. Please give the order."
Adkins glanced at the screen and spoke to Huosi with excitement.
"Good. I hereby announce that the Federation's first nuclear bomb will now be detonated!"
Huosi stared intently at the screen. His divine sense had already spread out, ready to act at any moment. They were waiting only for the final moment.
The Federation had poured vast amounts of manpower and resources into preparing for this. Now, all that remained was the final step.
"Detonate!"
"BOOM!"
A deafening roar shook the earth, and countless readings began to fluctuate wildly.
The next second, Huosi vanished from the laboratory and appeared in midair, staring fixedly into the distance.
In that instant, blinding light swallowed everything. Then a massive mushroom cloud rose into the sky.
"So this is the Super Nuclear Bomb that can be used in this world. It has no radiation, yet its power far exceeds the bombs from my previous life. Even a god would be gravely wounded by a direct hit!"
Huosi watched the scene, murmuring with barely contained excitement.
At first, when he'd obtained the nuclear bomb's design, he'd had his doubts.
At least, based on what he knew from his previous life, it was hard to imagine a nuclear bomb being powerful enough to challenge a god, or even someone in the Saint Realm.
But as he studied it further, he gradually realized that the Super Nuclear Bomb the system had given him was nothing like the bombs he knew.
Built on the principles of this universe, it used a different method to convert, store, and release divine power. In essence, it was completely unlike what he understood as a nuclear bomb.
For a hundred years, he'd devoted nearly all his time to nuclear weapons research. Today, at last, his work was complete.
With this, along with the Dongfeng missile system they'd already networked, he could break through by force even if all the other gods joined together. No one could stand in his way as he united the continent.
"Sir, is this... is this the nuclear bomb? It's terrifying!"
Adkins flew out after him, visibly stunned.
They were far away, but the shockwaves from the blast still sent a shiver through Adkins.
"Exactly. This is a nuclear bomb, a weapon capable of changing the world."
Huosi spoke with pride.
Witnessing the detonation reminded him of his previous life, and his voice carried a hint of pride.
Though the two bombs weren't the same in essence, it still brought back memories.
"Congratulations, sir. With this, it won't be long before the Federation unites the continent."
Adkins answered respectfully.
"But this alone isn't enough. We must do everything we can to ensure success. How is Bernas's research into the Divine Domain coming along?"
Huosi thought for a moment, then asked.
"Grandpa Bernas told me about it a few days ago. It should be finished in the next few days."
Adkins replied.
For the past hundred years, the Federation's main research projects had been the God-Slaying Level nuclear bomb and the Divine Domain.
"Good. Then let's go take a look."
Huosi nodded and flew with Adkins toward the Academy of Sciences.
Ever since he'd started researching science—or, more precisely, ever since he'd arrived in this universe—Huosi had wondered what the Divine Domain really was.
In the Magic Universe's system, the Divine Domain was an ability unique to god-level powerhouses. Once released, it could immobilize anyone below god level. This was what made the gap between the Saint Realm and the gods unbridgeable.
Divine sense also had a detection function. Anything within its range could be seen clearly.
So what if he turned the question around? Instead of thinking in terms of the Magic Universe, what would the Divine Domain be from the perspective of a mechanical civilization?
After years of research and experimentation, Huosi had more or less worked it out.
The Divine Domain was an abstract concept. From a scientific perspective, it was a magnetic field formed by special particles released around a divine spark.
In the Magic Universe, these so-called particles were a special form of control, released on the foundation of divine power.
Once experiments with specially designed particle pulses from a mechanical civilization had fully analyzed this magnetic field, they could build an opposing field to counter it.
For that purpose, Huosi had given Lingester's divine spark to Bernas, along with a range of research equipment and personnel. Now, the Anti-Divine Domain Magnetic Field weapon had been developed.
All that remained was to install the corresponding field system on the J-20 fighter jet, and it would easily break through the Divine Domain.
In theory, once a fighter jet was equipped with the counteracting field and a nuclear missile, it would be capable of fighting a Lowgod head-on.
After all, the reason gods were called gods was that the Divine Domain was one of their essential trump cards.
Mastering one profound law to perfection made someone a Lowgod. But someone who had mastered it to 99.9 percent was still in the Saint Realm. People like Faen and Desli were at the very limit of the Saint Realm.
The Saint Realm's limit was only one step away from godhood, yet the gap between them was unbridgeable.
First, inside the Divine Domain, a Saint Realm expert would be pinned in place, unable to move. Second, divine power elevated a god's attack, defense, speed, and recovery to a completely different level.
Without the Divine Domain, a Lowgod would still have the advantage, but could still lose to a group of Saint Realm experts at their limit.
Now, however, fighter jets could break through the Divine Domain and resist a god's control.
They could also unleash attacks capable of injuring a god. With enough numbers, even pilots who were no stronger than seven-star warriors could theoretically use dozens of fighter jets to surround and kill a god.
Of course, that was only in theory. A god-level powerhouse wouldn't just stand there and let their enemies attack.
But with fighter jets working alongside Huosi, he was confident he could take on every god on the continent by himself.
"Quick, activate the magnetic field and check all the readings!"
Inside the laboratory, Bernas issued one command after another. Though he was a Saint Realm expert, sweat kept pouring down his face.
They'd spent so long preparing, and the final experiment was about to begin. He couldn't help feeling nervous.
"Don't worry. It's all right if it fails."
Huosi's voice sounded behind him.
"Sir, we won't fail."
At the familiar voice, Bernas turned and bowed, then replied firmly.
Though his lord had said failure was the mother of success, Bernas wouldn't accept failure. If he was going to do it, he would do it right—he would make sure it succeeded on the first try.
"Is that so? I'm looking forward to it too."
Huosi nodded. He didn't try to reassure Bernas any further, but instead watched the fighter jet circling overhead.
What Bernas needed now wasn't reassurance. He needed to stay focused by keeping up the intense work.
The next second, the fighter jet began to move through the air, and a special device activated.
A field with the opposite polarity spread outward from the fighter jet.
Huosi's eyes flickered. He released his Divine Domain toward the jet, attempting to control it.
Yet the fighter jet was completely unaffected and continued flying steadily.
"It worked! Sir, we did it!"
Bernas stared at the readings on the screen and shouted excitedly.
"Mm. You did well."
Huosi gave Bernas's shoulder a firm pat.
"Everyone, you've worked hard. I won't forget the efforts of any of our researchers."
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