Chapter Summaries

Song Chen fought an eighth-rank Blood-Eclipse Clan brute, using Void Traverse to evade its overwhelming strength and land repeated wounds. He drew the battle outside the defensive line, but the brute began unleashing wide-area attacks that threatened to stop Song Chen from wearing it down.

• Song Chen confronted a stocky eighth-rank Blood-Eclipse Clan member, who refused to give his name and knocked Song Chen through several bulkheads with a single blow.
• Song Chen returned with Void Traverse and Star-Splitting Slash, damaging the brute’s shell and drawing its anger.
• Song Chen repeatedly teleported around the brute, landing cuts while avoiding its bone blades and guiding the fight away from the defensive line.
• Song Chen moved the battle into space, where Void Traverse gave him room to maneuver and strike the brute’s back.
• The brute slammed all four arms into the defensive line’s outer wall, sending a shock wave that hurled Song Chen away.
• Song Chen recognized that the brute had begun using wide-area attacks to prevent him from closing in and wearing it down.

Chapter Summary: “Slaying an Eighth Rank”

Key Plot Points and Events

• As Song Chen searches for a way to break the stalemate, Zephar and Gu Tu arrive to reinforce him. Zephar wields a golden energy spear, while Gu Tu uses a powerful cannon integrated into his arm.
• The defensive line is under attack, with the enemy’s main force assaulting the command center. Because reinforcements cannot be spared, Song Chen, Zephar, and Gu Tu must kill the four-armed Blood-Eclipse warrior themselves.
• Zephar and Gu Tu engage the enemy directly while Song Chen studies his attack patterns and waits for an opening.
• Gu Tu damages the warrior’s leg, and Zephar forces him to block with multiple arms. Song Chen exploits the moment and uses Star-Splitting Slash to severely injure him, severing most of one arm.
• The warrior retaliates by tearing off the damaged arm and detonating it, throwing the others backward and damaging the defensive wall. He then strikes Song Chen, but Song Chen’s Silver Radiance Battle Armor and Eternal Body protect and heal him.
• Since the warrior can replenish himself by absorbing surrounding psychic energy, the group abandons the idea of exhausting him. Song Chen decides to kill him with a single decisive attack.
• Gu Tu restrains the warrior despite being repeatedly stabbed, while Zephar pins him to the wall with his spear. Song Chen unleashes the ultimate limit of the sixth layer of Star-Splitting Slash, combining eighteen accumulated strikes.
• The resulting massive blade cuts through the warrior’s weapons, head, torso, and entire body, killing the eighth-rank enemy instantly.

Character Developments

• Song Chen demonstrates patience, tactical awareness, and growing confidence in his sword technique. Rather than attacking recklessly, he waits for the perfect opening and ultimately reaches a new peak in the sixth layer of Star-Splitting Slash.
• Zephar acts as a disciplined battlefield commander, coordinating the attack and trusting Song Chen to deliver the killing blow.
• Gu Tu shows exceptional courage and loyalty by sacrificing his own body to immobilize the enemy, refusing to release him despite sustaining devastating injuries.
• The squat warrior becomes increasingly desperate and enraged after being wounded. His confidence turns to fury, but his aggression cannot overcome the coordinated tactics of the three defenders.

Significant Themes

• Teamwork versus overwhelming individual strength: The warrior is extremely powerful, but coordinated attacks allow the three defenders to exploit his limited openings.
• Sacrifice and courage: Gu Tu’s willingness to endure fatal-looking injuries creates the opportunity for Song Chen’s finishing strike.
• Patience and precision: Song Chen’s victory depends not on constant attacking but on observing the enemy’s rhythm and striking only when the right opening appears.
• Breaking through limits: The final attack represents Song Chen surpassing his previous mastery and reaching the utmost power of his current technique.
• Battlefield urgency: The larger assault on the command center emphasizes that the fight must be resolved quickly and that every warrior’s actions affect the wider defense.

Character Interactions

• Zephar orders Song Chen to fall back initially, then works with him and Gu Tu to trap the enemy.
• Song Chen and Zephar agree that Song Chen’s blade is their strongest weapon and that the others should create an opening for him.
• Gu Tu provides heavy ranged fire and later physically restrains the warrior, while Zephar pins him in place.
• Song Chen relies on both allies to hold the enemy long enough to unleash his decisive attack, turning their combined efforts into the successful killing of the eighth-rank warrior.

Song Chen helped repel the Blood-Eclipse Civilization's assault by killing an eighth-rank fighter and holding the route to the command room until reinforcements arrived. After the enemy pulled back, Zephar gave him fifty thousand cosmic crystals as a reward, while warning that another attack could come soon.

• Song Chen left the wounded Gu Tu behind and fought his way through the Blood-Eclipse forces toward the command room.
• Song Chen reached the command room after killing large numbers of enemies, while Virian announced that Celestial Pivot Defense Line reinforcements had arrived.
• The Blood-Eclipse Civilization's two remaining eighth-rank fighters retreated with their troops, leaving the defense line badly damaged but unbreached.
• Zephar told Song Chen that his kill had helped decide the battle and praised his saber technique and ability to traverse under spatial lockdown.
• Zephar gave Song Chen fifty thousand cosmic crystals as the United Defense Association's reward and warned him to rest before the next wave.

The Blood-Eclipse Civilization’s provisional fleet received a harsh reprimand after losing Kurzon, and the Lord Overseer promised reinforcements for the next assault. Meanwhile, Heavenly Pivot rebuilt the node’s defenses as Song Chen withdrew to an abandoned passage to spend his resources.

• The Bone-Armored One and Blood-Scaled One argued over Kurzon’s death and worried about their expedition quota.
• The Lord Overseer arrived, cut their quota in half, and ordered them to take the node in the next assault or face punishment.
• The Lord Overseer said the Third Hall’s elite troops would reinforce the attack while leaving command with the two survivors.
• Heavenly Pivot sent engineering ships, defensive platforms, turrets, shield generators, Star-Rail Hounds, and cutting drones to restore the node’s defenses.
• Song Chen left the rebuilding work to others and went to an abandoned maintenance passage to begin spending.

Chapter Summary: “Blood Battle for Three Days”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Chen uses his accumulated Killing Value to raise his Blood Qi and Mental Power from 70 million to 100 million, reaching the absolute limit of the Seventh Rank.
• He realizes that further advancement requires accumulating Star Origin Power and breaking into the Eighth Rank, rather than simply increasing his physical and mental attributes.
• After several peaceful days, the Blood-Eclipse Civilization launches a vastly larger assault on the defensive line.
• The enemy brings over one hundred biological warships, tens of thousands of Seventh Ranks, and five Eighth-Rank combatants, including the Blood-Scaled One and Bone-Armored One.
• Song Chen initially massacres Seventh-Rank enemies with Void Traverse and Star-Splitting Slash, rapidly restoring and increasing his Killing Value.
• The Blood-Scaled One and Bone-Armored One join forces against him. Their coordinated attacks restrict his movement and prevent him from building up the full power of Star-Splitting Slash.
• Song Chen’s Silver Radiance Battle Armor absorbs most physical damage, but the Blood-Scaled One’s scarlet tentacles attack his soul directly, forcing him to divide his Mental Power between offense and defense.
• Unable to defeat both Eighth Ranks, Song Chen changes tactics. He repeatedly teleports across the battlefield, avoiding them and slaughtering lower-ranked enemies instead.
• The battle continues for three days. Song Chen’s Killing Value rises from 580 billion to 1.2 trillion, but the defensive line is ultimately destroyed.
• Over ninety percent of the facilities are ruined, the orbital platforms and turrets are wiped out, and the defenders are pushed to the command room.
• Zephar orders a full retreat. After briefly forcing back the two Eighth Ranks, Song Chen withdraws through the evacuation passage.
• The surviving defenders escape through the warp gate, while the Blood-Eclipse Civilization captures the spatial node.

Character Developments

• Song Chen reaches the physical and mental ceiling of the Seventh Rank, bringing him much closer to the Eighth Rank but recognizing that a qualitative breakthrough is still necessary.
• His confidence and combat ability grow, but he also gains a clearer understanding of his limitations after failing to kill two coordinated Eighth-Rank opponents.
• He demonstrates tactical adaptability by abandoning the attempt to defeat the stronger enemies directly and instead targeting their weaker forces.
• Zephar displays leadership under desperate conditions, ultimately ordering the retreat when the defensive line becomes impossible to defend.
• Gu Tu fights until his old injuries reopen and he nearly dies, emphasizing his endurance and sacrifice.
• Virian leads the remaining defenders in protecting the command room until the final defensive door collapses.
• The Blood-Scaled One and Bone-Armored One become Song Chen’s persistent rivals, successfully restraining him through cooperation despite his superior mobility.

Significant Themes

• Strength versus realm: Song Chen’s immense Blood Qi, Mental Power, and combat techniques allow him to challenge higher-ranked enemies, but the gap between realms remains decisive.
• Survival and adaptation: Victory is impossible, so Song Chen survives by changing tactics rather than stubbornly pursuing an unwinnable fight.
• The cost of war: Even massive personal gains cannot prevent the destruction of the defensive line and the loss of territory.
• Sacrifice and retreat: The defenders fight to exhaustion, but survival requires abandoning the node.
• Temporary power versus lasting advancement: Killing Value increases dramatically, yet Song Chen still needs Star Origin Power to achieve a true breakthrough.

Character Interactions

• Song Chen battles the Blood-Scaled One and Bone-Armored One in a prolonged two-on-one confrontation, with their teamwork repeatedly disrupting his attacks.
• The Blood-Scaled One taunts Song Chen as he retreats, while Song Chen promises to kill him in the future, establishing an ongoing rivalry.
• Zephar and Gu Tu fight side by side, with Zephar eventually helping the badly wounded Gu Tu reach the evacuation point.
• Virian coordinates the desperate defense of the command room through the city-defense broadcast.
• The surviving defenders cooperate in the final retreat through Heavenly Pivot’s warp gate, leaving the captured node behind.

Chapter Summary: “Return to Heavenly Pivot”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Chen returns to the Celestial Pivot Defense Line and is shocked to find it devastated. The once-organized seven-light-year steel fortress has been reduced to wreckage, with destroyed warships, damaged fortresses, psychic-explosion ash, and expanding fractures in space.
• He realizes that the Heavenly Pivot battlefield is vastly more intense than the smaller node he previously defended. The Nine Luminaries Civilization and allied Milky Way forces are engaged in a brutal main-force war against the Blood-Eclipse Civilization.
• Song Chen’s battered group arrives at the defense line. Zephar is seriously injured, and Gu Tu remains unconscious.
• A receiving officer informs the survivors that they will receive only one standard day of rest before being reassigned to continue fighting in Tianshu’s western sector.
• A wounded Shuangyue soldier angrily protests the order, arguing that the troops have just survived a three-day battle against five Eighth Ranks and a fleet group. Military police immediately restrain and execute him, using his death to intimidate the rest of the soldiers.
• Horrified by the arbitrary killing, Song Chen leaves the group. He invokes an internal order from the Cangxing Alliance and requests to depart. After checking his credentials and influential connections, the receiving officer approves his release.
• Song Chen is escorted through the restricted passage into Celestial Pivot Main City, which is also badly damaged and undergoing constant repairs.
• He is brought to meet Lord Lar. Song Chen finds Lar gravely wounded and visibly weakened, standing in a smaller humanoid form with broken armor, shattered bone spines, and severe injuries.

Character Developments

• Song Chen: His perception of the war expands dramatically as he witnesses the true scale of the Heavenly Pivot battlefield. The execution strengthens his distrust of the defense command’s ruthless system. Rather than accept reassignment, he decisively uses his Alliance status to pursue his own mission.
• Zephar: Returns severely injured, with one arm hanging uselessly, showing the physical cost of the previous battle.
• Gu Tu: Remains unconscious and must be carried by soldiers, emphasizing the group’s exhaustion and losses.
• The receiving officer: Represents the impersonal and authoritarian military command. He remains unmoved by the protesting soldier’s execution but becomes noticeably more respectful once Song Chen’s powerful background is revealed.
• Lord Lar: Appears drastically weakened compared with his former imposing presence. His injuries and deteriorating condition suggest that he has endured a devastating battle and may no longer be capable of his former strength.
• The Shuangyue soldier: His protest reflects the exhausted troops’ frustration and despair, but his immediate execution demonstrates their lack of power under wartime discipline.

Significant Themes

• The overwhelming scale and brutality of war: The ruined defense line, shattered space, and destroyed fortresses reveal that the conflict threatens entire regions of civilization, not merely individual worlds or military nodes.
• The expendability of soldiers: Even elite fighters are treated as replaceable resources and sent directly back into battle after minimal rest.
• Authoritarian control and fear: The execution shows how military command suppresses dissent through terror rather than persuasion or justice.
• Privilege and unequal treatment: Ordinary soldiers are killed for protesting, while Song Chen is released because of his Alliance credentials and influential connections.
• The cost of victory: The ruined battlefield and Lar’s injuries emphasize that even powerful civilizations and leaders are being consumed by the conflict.
• Changing perceptions of power: Song Chen’s earlier battlefield experience now seems insignificant beside Heavenly Pivot’s main war, forcing him to reassess the true scale of the crisis.

Character Interactions

• Song Chen and Zephar: Zephar urges Song Chen to keep moving after the group’s arrival, while Song Chen hesitates after witnessing the execution. Their exchange highlights Zephar’s practical survival instinct and Song Chen’s moral shock.
• The receiving officer and the Shuangyue soldier: Their confrontation pits rigid military orders against the soldiers’ exhaustion and anger, ending in the soldier’s execution.
• Song Chen and the receiving officer: Song Chen calmly invokes his Alliance authority. The officer’s attitude changes from formal neutrality to respect once he recognizes Song Chen’s status.
• Song Chen and Lord Lar: The chapter ends with Song Chen entering Lar’s office and observing his alarming decline, setting up an important conversation about the battlefield and Lar’s condition.

Chapter Summary:

Canglan Star

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Chen returns to Lord Lar after surviving the collapse of a defensive node on the Celestial Pivot Main Battlefield.
• He reports that the Blood-Eclipse Civilization attacked with far more forces than expected. Five Eighth Rank fighters overwhelmed the node, destroying roughly ninety percent of its defense line before Zephar ordered a retreat.
• Lar explains that the war around the Heivei Nebula has escalated dramatically. Tens of billions of combat units are being deployed daily, and even Tenth Rank fighters have entered the conflict. The spatial rifts Song Chen witnessed were created when powerful experts forcibly tore open space.
• The United Defense Association has ordered civilizations throughout the Milky Way to send reinforcements. However, Blue Star will not be conscripted because it is not yet a First-Level Civilization and lacks sufficient high-ranking fighters.
• Lar assures Song Chen that Cangxing Civilization will protect Blue Star as long as it remains affiliated with the Alliance, but warns him not to abandon the battlefield permanently or become known as a deserter.
• Song Chen requests leave to attempt a breakthrough from Seventh Rank to Eighth Rank. Lar approves and sends him to Canglan Star under the official pretense of seeking reinforcements.
• Canglan Star, one of Lar’s private investments, possesses suitable cultivation facilities and a rich spiritual-energy environment.
• Song Chen travels through jump channels for three days, leaving the devastated battlefield behind, and arrives at the beautiful, peaceful planet.
• Canglan Star is larger than Blue Star, with pale cyan oceans, colorful vegetation, a vast crystalline planetary ring, quiet spaceports, low organic-looking cities, and a relaxed civilian atmosphere.

Character Developments

• Song Chen: Demonstrates increased awareness of the brutality and scale of the interstellar war. His concern for Blue Star reveals his strong attachment to his home and loved ones. Recognizing that he needs greater strength, he decisively seeks an Eighth Rank breakthrough.
• Lord Lar: Despite suffering serious injuries from the aftershock of a Tenth Rank battle, Lar remains composed and focused on military affairs. He shows genuine concern for Song Chen and personally protects Blue Star, providing Song Chen with both practical assistance and emotional reassurance.
• Song Chen and Lar’s relationship: Their interaction reflects growing trust. Lar views Song Chen as a valuable investment and mentor-like subordinate, while Song Chen respects Lar deeply and responds with gratitude and loyalty.

Significant Themes

• The overwhelming scale of war: The battlefield reduces ordinary soldiers to expendable numbers, while even powerful experts can be badly injured by collateral damage.
• Strength and survival: Song Chen realizes that remaining at Seventh Rank is insufficient for him to establish himself in the wider universe. Advancement is necessary both for personal survival and for protecting Blue Star.
• Home and responsibility: Blue Star represents Song Chen’s emotional foundation. His fear that it could be drawn into the war highlights the tension between personal attachments and cosmic conflict.
• Protection through power and alliances: Blue Star’s safety depends not only on its own weakness but also on Lar’s influence and Cangxing Civilization’s political standing.
• Contrast between war and peace: The grim, devastated Celestial Pivot battlefield is sharply contrasted with Canglan Star’s beauty, comfort, and civilian prosperity.

Character Interactions

• Lar listens carefully to Song Chen’s battlefield report and acknowledges how difficult his survival was.
• Song Chen asks directly whether Blue Star will be affected by the mobilization order, showing his priorities and anxiety.
• Lar reassures him that Blue Star is under his protection but reminds him that Song Chen must continue contributing to the war effort.
• When Song Chen requests leave to cultivate, Lar immediately supports the decision and arranges a discreet mission to Canglan Star.
• Their farewell is informal but meaningful: Lar urges Song Chen to grow stronger, while Song Chen leaves determined to use the temporary peace to achieve his breakthrough.

Summary of “Star Crown Achieved”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Chen arrives at a seaside cultivation courtyard on Canglan Star, arranged by Lar.
• He enters a special cultivation chamber connected directly to a powerful spirit vein beneath the seabed, greatly increasing the concentration of Psionic Energy.
• To accelerate his advancement, Song Chen purchases Star Marrow Crystals from the System Shop. These crystals improve the efficiency of converting Blood Qi and Mental Power into Star Origin Power while reducing the associated pain.
• After ten days, he condenses his first point of Star Origin Power. Over the next three months, he continues the repetitive process and eventually forms dozens of points.
• Feeling mentally worn down by the monotony, Song Chen briefly leaves the chamber and walks along the coast. The peaceful scenery makes him reflect on ordinary life on Blue Star and the vast interstellar war occurring beyond it.
• He returns to cultivation and spends large amounts of Killing Value on more Star Marrow Crystals. After another nine months, he successfully refines the one hundred points of Star Origin Power required for advancement.
• His breakthrough triggers a massive golden pillar of light and causes the entire planet to tremble. Observers recognize that someone is achieving the Star Crown.
• Song Chen emerges having reached the Eighth Rank Star Corona Realm. His Star Core has stabilized, and a silver-white Psionic Corona now revolves around it.
• Though his breakthrough consumes nearly all his stored Killing Value, Song Chen considers the cost worthwhile.
• As he watches the sunset, a spacecraft arrives, signaling that his peaceful cultivation period is ending and new events are about to begin.

Character Development

• Song Chen grows from a powerful Seventh Rank warrior into an Eighth Rank Star Corona Realm expert.
• His advancement demonstrates his determination, willingness to endure monotony, and readiness to spend enormous resources to become stronger.
• He gains a deeper awareness of the contrast between peaceful civilian life and the destructive interstellar war threatening the galaxy.
• His new strength is immense: he senses that even a casual punch could surpass the power of his former full-strength attacks.
• Despite receiving public praise, Song Chen remains restrained and focused, caring more about the breakthrough than recognition.

Significant Themes

• Persistence and discipline: Song Chen’s advancement requires months of repetitive cultivation and psychological endurance.
• Power and sacrifice: He nearly exhausts his Killing Value to achieve the breakthrough, emphasizing the cost of rapid growth.
• Peace versus war: The tranquil coastal setting contrasts sharply with the cosmic conflict consuming the wider universe.
• Isolation and perspective: Song Chen briefly experiences ordinary life, but his knowledge of the larger war prevents him from fully returning to a peaceful mindset.
• Transformation: The Star Crown symbolizes both a major increase in strength and Song Chen’s movement into a higher level of existence and responsibility.

Character Interactions

• The gray-robed caretaker respectfully guides Song Chen into the cultivation chamber and explains its connection to the spirit vein.
• Lar’s influence is evident through the reserved chamber and the guards assigned to protect Song Chen.
• After the breakthrough, the caretaker, Alliance officials, local nobles, and guards gather to congratulate him.
• Their reverence shows how extraordinary the Eighth Rank realm is, while Song Chen responds modestly and says little.
• The arrival of the silver-white spacecraft introduces an unknown visitor or mission and foreshadows the end of Song Chen’s quiet cultivation period.

Song Chen learned that reaching the eighth-rank Star Corona Realm gave him three career paths in the Alliance: return to the Disciplinary Department, transfer to the Investment Department, or seek a post in another department. The Blue Spirit envoy also showed him the Blood-Eclipse Civilization’s enormous tenth-rank Broodmother, leaving Song Chen to consider his options as the war’s threat became clear.

• A Blue Spirit envoy told Song Chen that Lar was recovering and asked what he planned to do next.
• The envoy described Song Chen’s three Alliance career options, including returning to the Disciplinary Department or transferring to the Investment Department.
• Song Chen asked about the front, and the envoy explained that the Blood-Eclipse Civilization had brought its peak tenth-rank Broodmother into the war.
• The envoy projected battlefield footage showing the immense Broodmother and its tendrils near the frontline.

Chapter Summary: “Star-Splitting Slash”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Chen observes the Blood-Eclipse Broodmother, an enormous living warship covered in armored carapace, craters, and countless entrances that release warships and low-rank creatures.
• The Broodmother’s surrounding red psionic mist continuously drains the energy and life force of anyone who enters it.
• The Blue Spirit explains that the Blood-Eclipse Civilization has abandoned large offensives and begun a prolonged war of attrition against Heavenly Pivot. The Broodmother endlessly produces expendable units, while Heavenly Pivot repeatedly repels them.
• Because the Broodmother can regenerate and is protected by several Tenth Rank powerhouses, Heavenly Pivot cannot easily destroy it. The conflict has continued for half a year, with both sides suffering enormous casualties.
• Although the battlefield is extremely dangerous, Song Chen sees it as an opportunity to gain Killing Value by fighting an endless stream of enemies.
• The Blue Spirit advises Song Chen to remain on Canglan Star and consolidate his newly advanced Eighth Rank realm. Song Chen instead decides to return to Heavenly Pivot’s main battlefield after one month.
• The following day, Song Chen leaves Canglan Star alone aboard the Shadow Bee and travels to a remote, uninhabited region of space to test his new abilities.
• His system now displays 101 points of Star Origin Power, replacing his former Blood Qi and Mental Power attributes. He learns that reaching 10,000 points will allow him to form a True Star Core and advance to the Ninth Rank.
• Song Chen practices using Star Origin Power to strengthen his technique, Star-Splitting Slash. The attack is now dramatically faster and powerful enough to leave cracks in space.
• He then uses Void Traverse to reach a large asteroid and cleaves it cleanly in half with a single strike, demonstrating the immense destructive power of his Eighth Rank abilities.

Character Developments

• Song Chen becomes more confident and decisive after reaching the Eighth Rank. Rather than resting safely and slowly consolidating his realm, he chooses to return to the battlefield and use actual combat to improve.
• His ambition remains closely tied to the system and Killing Value, but he also shows a willingness to risk himself for the needs of Heavenly Pivot.
• Song Chen begins adapting his combat style to Star Origin Power, moving beyond his former reliance on Blood Qi and Mental Power.
• The Blue Spirit shows concern for Song Chen’s safety and attempts to dissuade him from immediately returning to the front lines, but ultimately respects his decision and helps arrange his deployment.

Significant Themes

• Growth through danger: Song Chen views the dangerous war of attrition as both a threat and an opportunity for advancement.
• The scale of power: The transition from Blood Qi and Mental Power to Star Origin Power reveals the enormous gap between cultivation realms. Even a newly advanced Eighth Rank can destroy massive celestial bodies.
• Persistence and attrition: The Blood-Eclipse Civilization’s endless regeneration contrasts with Heavenly Pivot’s finite living forces, emphasizing the exhaustion and inevitability of prolonged warfare.
• Individual power versus cosmic conflict: Song Chen’s ability to split an asteroid in half is extraordinary, yet the larger war still involves Broodmothers, entire civilizations, and Tenth Rank beings.
• The path toward transcendence: The True Star Core and Ninth Rank represent a distant goal requiring immense time and resources, motivating Song Chen to seek unconventional methods through the system and battlefield combat.

Character Interactions

• Song Chen questions the Blue Spirit about the current state of the war and listens to his assessment of the Blood-Eclipse strategy.
• The Blue Spirit cautiously recommends that Song Chen remain on Canglan Star, but Song Chen firmly states that he wants to return to Heavenly Pivot.
• Though surprised by Song Chen’s decision, the Blue Spirit agrees to submit the necessary application and departs to arrange it.
• After leaving Canglan Star, Song Chen has no further interactions with others; the remainder of the chapter focuses on his solitary cultivation and testing of Star-Splitting Slash.

Chapter Summary: “Return to the Battlefield”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Chen tests his newly acquired Star Origin Power by using the sixth-level Star-Splitting Slash to cut an asteroid apart with a single strike.
• He realizes Star Origin Power is the technique’s ideal fuel. Unlike Blood Qi and Mental Power, it allows the blade technique to unleash its full destructive potential while consuming relatively little energy.
• For a month, Song Chen trains alone in a desolate region of space. He repeatedly practices Star-Splitting Slash, studies how Star Origin Power circulates through his body, and uses Void Traverse to follow his own blade light.
• After exhausting the nearby asteroids, he begins cutting through empty space itself. His attacks now leave temporary cracks in space, showing that his spatial destructive ability has significantly improved.
• Receiving a transfer order, Song Chen returns aboard the Shadow Bee to the Tianshu Main Defense Line, where a massive war has continued for more than a year.
• Heavenly Pivot is visibly devastated: sections are burning or dark, fleets crowd the defensive line, and artillery fire is constant. The battle has expanded into a decisive conflict spanning seven light-years.
• Within Celestial Pivot Main City, Song Chen discovers that the spatial blockade has weakened because the war has drained the city’s energy network and destroyed numerous Spatial Nodes. He can now use Void Traverse over a distance of more than a thousand kilometers, though still far below its peak range.
• He is escorted to the Third Operations Hall, where he reunites with Lar and receives an update on the worsening war situation. Outer battle zones are suffering catastrophic casualties, with some units losing thirty percent of their forces in a single day.
• Lar reveals that he has adopted a new, slimmer combat form with denser scales and energy-like wings across his chest and back. He explains that the form is optimized for prolonged fighting and that survival and combat now matter more to him than appearance.
• The chapter ends as Lar shows Song Chen the strategic star map. The Blood-Eclipse Broodmother’s forces are visibly pressing toward Heavenly Pivot through hundreds of advancing blood-red lines.

Character Developments

• Song Chen has grown substantially stronger after mastering Star Origin Power. His Star-Splitting Slash is now far more powerful, and his ability to damage space has improved.
• His year of seclusion has made him more confident and prepared for the main battlefield. He believes he can survive unless he encounters an exceptionally powerful “old monster.”
• Song Chen remains calm and focused despite the scale of the war, showing greater composure than he might have possessed a year earlier.
• Lar has been physically altered by prolonged warfare and injury. His new form reflects both adaptation and exhaustion, emphasizing his willingness to sacrifice comfort and identity for continued combat.
• The Blue Spirit Race guide has also visibly deteriorated, becoming thinner and more worn from participation in the war, illustrating the conflict’s effects on ordinary personnel as well as major fighters.

Significant Themes

• Power through proper mastery: Song Chen’s breakthrough demonstrates that strength depends not only on the technique itself but also on using the correct energy to drive it.
• Transformation through war: Lar’s altered body and the damaged state of Heavenly Pivot show how prolonged conflict reshapes both individuals and entire civilizations.
• The cost of defense: The weakened spatial blockade, ruined infrastructure, and extreme casualty rates reveal that the defensive line is being sustained through enormous sacrifice.
• Calm before decisive battle: Song Chen’s return marks the transition from isolated preparation to participation in the central, high-stakes conflict.
• Survival over identity: Lar’s acceptance of his unfamiliar combat form reflects the chapter’s emphasis on endurance and functionality over appearance or personal preference.

Important Character Interactions

• Song Chen speaks briefly with the Blue Spirit Race member who once received him, noticing how much the war has aged and worn him down.
• The guide informs Song Chen of the desperate situation in the outer war zones and escorts him through the damaged city to the operations hall.
• Song Chen and Lar reunite. Song Chen asks about Lar’s injuries, while Lar explains his new combat form and his determination to keep fighting.
• Lar then brings Song Chen to the strategic map, preparing to explain how the battlefield and the threat from the Blood-Eclipse Broodmother have changed.

Chapter Summary: “Assault Mission”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Celestial Pivot Defense Line has been divided into 122 war zones, each overwhelmed by constant fighting and enormous casualties.
• Blood-Eclipse Civilization possesses nine Tenth Ranks, known as the Nine Great Holy Lords. Its First Holy Lord has reached the peak of the Tenth Rank and is attempting to ascend to the Eleventh Rank.
• Blood-Eclipse intends to use the lives and energy of countless Milky Way civilizations to fuel this breakthrough. If successful, it will become a Level Five Civilization capable of dominating the galaxy.
• Lar reassures Song Chen that Blue Star might be evacuated if necessary, but emphasizes that the allied forces are still resisting the First Holy Lord.
• Song Chen asks why the non-native Alliance is fighting so fiercely. Lar explains that he is a native of the Milky Way and considers it his home. He also notes that the Alliance has invested heavily in the region and cannot abandon it without losing its interests.
• Lar assigns Song Chen to the 68th War Zone, centered on Nine Luminaries Civilization’s massive fortress, Blazing Fire Platform.
• Song Chen arrives at the fortress and is immediately assigned a mission: intercept and destroy a Blood-Eclipse supercarrier believed to be transporting ten million combat organisms toward a strategic Spatial Node.
• He joins a joint force consisting of his own unit, Kalian’s Shuangyue special-operations team, and Turik’s Nine Luminaries fleet.
• The allied force locates the grotesque biological carrier and its thousands of escorts. Turik takes the front, Kalian the right flank, and Song Chen the left. The battle begins.

Character Developments

• Song Chen becomes more aware of the war’s enormous stakes, especially the threat to Blue Star and his family. His determination to fight strengthens.
• He also demonstrates humility, attributing his previous victory over an Eighth Rank to “luck,” despite his reputation as a powerful fighter.
• Lar is revealed as both a practical military commander and a deeply patriotic Milky Way native. His personal attachment to the galaxy explains his commitment to the war.
• Kalian is introduced as a disciplined and capable Shuangyue operative leading a small elite team. Her squad initially views Song Chen with skepticism.
• Turik is presented as an energetic, friendly, and confident Nine Luminaries commander. Unlike Kalian’s cautious team, he quickly accepts Song Chen and treats him as a fellow combatant.

Significant Themes

• Defense of one’s homeland: Lar’s explanation emphasizes that loyalty is not limited to political borders; the Milky Way is his home, regardless of the Alliance’s outside origin.
• The human cost of war: Entire civilizations and subordinate races are being consumed in a conflict where hundreds of millions die daily.
• Existential threat and sacrifice: The war is not merely territorial. Blood-Eclipse’s potential ascension could determine the fate of every civilization in the Milky Way.
• Individual ability versus military systems: Lar warns Song Chen that even exceptional strength cannot replace coordination and obedience to a broader combat structure.
• Unity among diverse civilizations: The alliance includes many different species and military forces, all temporarily united against Blood-Eclipse’s expansion.

Character Interactions

• Lar and Song Chen discuss the war’s strategic situation, the danger posed by Blood-Eclipse’s First Holy Lord, and the Alliance’s reasons for fighting.
• Lar advises Song Chen on choosing a war zone and cautions him against acting independently.
• Kalian politely introduces herself but her team visibly scrutinizes Song Chen, doubting the strength of the newly arrived Star Corona Realm cultivator.
• Turik warmly welcomes Song Chen, references his earlier achievement of killing an Eighth Rank, and assigns him a position in the formation.
• Kalian, Turik, and Song Chen quickly establish a tactical arrangement before launching the assault on the Blood-Eclipse carrier.

Chapter Summary: “Sweeping Through the Enemy Horde”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Turik’s fourteen-ship fleet launches the first attack against the enemy mothership, concentrating more than a hundred silver-gray beams on its front. The barrage burns through the outer carapace and creates massive holes, causing dark-red tissue fluid to spill into space.
• The mothership’s biological escort fleet rapidly disperses and counterattacks. Turik keeps his fleet in formation, using the ships on both flanks to create a crossfire.
• Kalian leads an elite squad into the right flank, cutting through enemy vessels and combat organisms with speed and precision. Her squad operates in perfect coordination, functioning as a concentrated assault unit.
• Song Chen attacks the left flank alone. Using teleportation and his Falling Star Blade, he appears among tightly packed enemy ships and destroys them in large numbers. His attacks split coral-like vessels, shred smaller biological warships, and cleave heavily armored Seventh Rank creatures apart.
• Song Chen’s killing speed is so great that he tears a huge gap through the left side of the enemy escort formation. Kalian’s squadmates and Turik’s command staff are astonished by his performance, with Turik ordering the fleet to advance and continue concentrating fire on the mothership.
• As enemy organisms continue pouring from the mothership, Song Chen encounters an Eighth Rank Blood-Eclipse with extremely powerful Star Origin Power.
• The creature initially mocks Song Chen for challenging it alone, but Song Chen accepts the fight as an opportunity to test his strength after breaking through to a higher level.
• The Eighth Rank enemy attacks with tremendous speed and corrosive claw blades. Song Chen repeatedly uses Void Traverse to evade its strikes and counterattack from unexpected positions.
• Song Chen’s first major counterstrike cracks the creature’s back armor. He then avoids a ranged claw attack, reappears beside the creature, and severs the roots of two of its wings. The chapter ends as the wounded Blood-Eclipse releases a storm of purple energy.

Character Developments

• Song Chen demonstrates a dramatic increase in power following his breakthrough. His Star Origin Power greatly enhances the cutting force of his Star-Splitting Slash, allowing him to destroy even Seventh Rank Heavy Armored Destroyers before they can react.
• He displays exceptional combat confidence, ignoring system notifications and focusing entirely on the battle. Rather than avoiding the powerful Eighth Rank opponent, he welcomes the challenge as a way to measure his new abilities.
• Kalian remains a disciplined and highly capable commander, leading her squad through coordinated attacks. However, Song Chen’s overwhelming performance catches her attention and causes her to reassess his abilities.
• Turik acts decisively as a fleet commander, maintaining formation, coordinating the crossfire, and exploiting Song Chen’s breakthrough through the enemy lines.
• The Eighth Rank Blood-Eclipse, initially arrogant and dismissive, becomes shocked and enraged when Song Chen’s teleportation and blade techniques repeatedly outmaneuver it.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming individual power versus massed forces: Song Chen’s ability to destroy entire groups of enemy ships highlights the impact a powerful warrior can have in a large-scale battle.
• Teamwork and coordinated warfare: Kalian’s squad and Turik’s fleet rely on formation, crossfire, and mutual support, contrasting with Song Chen’s independent assault.
• Growth through combat: Song Chen deliberately seeks a difficult opponent to test his newly acquired strength and refine his abilities.
• Adaptability and tactical intelligence: Song Chen combines Void Traverse with precise blade attacks, exploiting openings rather than relying solely on raw power.
• Fearlessness and confidence: Both sides display extreme aggression, but Song Chen’s calm willingness to confront a stronger-ranked enemy sets him apart.

Character Interactions

• Kalian’s squad members discuss Song Chen’s astonishing kill count over their team channel, while Kalian warns them not to lose focus despite secretly observing his progress.
• Turik and his staff react to Song Chen’s performance, recognizing that the newcomer from the Cangxing Alliance is extraordinarily powerful.
• Song Chen and the Eighth Rank Blood-Eclipse exchange brief taunts before engaging in a fast, tactical duel.
• The enemy’s contempt turns to surprise and fury as Song Chen repeatedly evades its attacks and inflicts serious damage.

Chapter Summary:

Klavisu

Key Plot Points and Events

• Song Chen faces an Eighth Rank Blood-Eclipse warrior. The enemy’s attacks cannot penetrate Song Chen’s Silver Radiance Battle Armor, and Song Chen easily counters with Void Traverse.
• After dodging a massive purple energy beam that destroys several biological warships, Song Chen closes the distance and unleashes his Star-Splitting Slash.
• The Blood-Eclipse warrior attempts to flee and threatens Song Chen by revealing that his father is a Ninth Rank commander. Song Chen refuses to be intimidated, severs one of the warrior’s legs, and kills him with the thirteenth strike of Star-Splitting Slash.
• Song Chen earns a large amount of Killing Value from the execution and then assists Kalian, whose squad has been badly injured and overwhelmed. He clears a path through the enemy formation, allowing Kalian and her surviving team members to retreat.
• He then reinforces Turik’s fleet, destroying several large auxiliary warships and helping stabilize the battle. Together, Turik’s forces destroy the enemy mothership.
• With the mothership gone, the remaining low-rank Blood-Eclipse creatures are quickly eliminated. Song Chen’s Killing Value reaches four trillion, though he recognizes that the cost of fighting such large-scale battles is also enormous.
• Song Chen returns with Turik’s fleet to Blazing Fire Platform.
• At the Blood-Eclipse Civilization’s headquarters in the 68th War Zone, Ninth Rank commander Klavisu learns that Song Chen killed his son, Prince Kogula. Rather than mourning, Klavisu mocks his son’s weakness and begins to take interest in Song Chen as a formidable opponent.

Character Developments

• Song Chen: Demonstrates overwhelming combat strength for a newly advanced Eighth Rank warrior. He remains calm under pressure, ignores threats from powerful enemies, and efficiently protects his allies while maximizing his gains from the battlefield. His willingness to confront a future Ninth Rank opponent shows growing confidence and fearlessness.
• Kalian: Suffers serious injuries and loses much of her team, but accepts Song Chen’s assistance and retreats rather than sacrificing everyone needlessly. Her silent acknowledgment indicates that she now owes him a significant debt.
• Turik: Continues fighting at the front despite severe damage to his fleet. He recognizes Song Chen’s extraordinary strength and openly expresses admiration for his battlefield ability.
• Klavisu: Is introduced as an ancient Ninth Rank True Star Realm powerhouse overseeing the 68th War Zone. Although furious that Song Chen killed his son, he considers Kogula’s defeat proof of the son’s incompetence rather than a tragedy.

Significant Themes

• Power and reputation: Song Chen’s strength is established through direct action, while Klavisu’s authority comes from age, rank, and overwhelming presence.
• Battlefield efficiency and sacrifice: Victory depends on rapid intervention, cooperation, and the willingness to accept heavy casualties. Song Chen’s Killing Value also reflects how warfare turns destruction into personal advancement.
• Pride and fearlessness: Song Chen refuses to be intimidated by the Eighth Rank warrior’s threats or the possibility of facing a Ninth Rank commander.
• Family and merit: Klavisu’s reaction shows that power and usefulness matter more to him than familial affection. He condemns his son for losing to someone weaker in rank.
• Escalating conflict: Song Chen’s victory does not end the danger; it draws the attention of an ancient Ninth Rank commander and sets up a more serious confrontation.

Character Interactions

• Song Chen taunts the Blood-Eclipse warrior after enduring his attacks, then rejects the warrior’s plea for mercy and kills him despite the threat of revenge.
• Song Chen silently communicates with Kalian through a nod; he understands her gratitude and orders her to withdraw with her wounded team.
• Turik praises Song Chen’s strength after witnessing him destroy enemy warships, while Song Chen remains focused on clearing the battlefield rather than accepting the compliment.
• Klavisu and his attendant discuss Song Chen’s identity and battle record. Klavisu’s laughter and dismissive attitude toward his dead son reveal both his arrogance and his confidence in his own power.

Key plot points and events

• Klavisu learns that Song Chen killed his son. Though warned that Song Chen is protected by the Cangxing Alliance, Klavisu vows to kill him personally and plans to use a trip to the battlefield as cover. He orders his attendant to track Song Chen’s movements.
• At the Blazing Fire Platform, Song Chen joins a modest victory feast with Turik’s Nine Luminaries Fleet officers and Kalian’s squad. Their successful mission to intercept an enemy mothership has earned praise from war-zone command.
• Turik reveals that Song Chen caused nearly half the team’s damage, matching the combined firepower of the fleet and special-operations squad. Song Chen receives the largest share of the reward: 2.2 million Cosmic Crystals.
• Kalian thanks Song Chen for helping her four-person squad survive; he treats his contribution as a normal part of battlefield duty.
• Song Chen considers sending the crystals’ value back to developing Blue Star as resources, cultivation methods, and starships. Before arranging that, he goes to a secluded maintenance cabin to inspect his system.
• His system now offers only Star Origin Power in exchange for Killing Value—at 10 billion Killing Value per point. He has 4 trillion Killing Value.

Character developments and interactions

• Klavisu shifts from amusement to murderous grief and fury, revealing that his pride and attachment to his son outweigh concerns about political consequences.
• Song Chen remains calm and restrained amid praise and celebration. He accepts Kalian’s gratitude and Turik’s teasing without boasting, and thinks beyond personal wealth to Blue Star’s needs.
• Turik publicly recognizes Song Chen’s extraordinary contribution, delivers the reward, and jokes about learning his blade technique.
• Kalian expresses sincere gratitude, while her surviving squadmates quietly affirm it with raised cups.

Significant themes

• Retaliation and power: Klavisu’s revenge threat foreshadows a dangerous confrontation, despite Song Chen’s alliance protection.
• Collective survival and recognition: The feast celebrates a rare victory, but the brief, disciplined gathering reflects how close the troops remain to the front.
• Personal reward versus communal benefit: Song Chen sees his substantial prize as a potential way to advance humanity on Blue Star.
• The cost of advancement: His new system exchange rate and enormous Killing Value emphasize that reaching higher ranks brings different, potentially demanding paths to power.

Chapter Summary: “Support Mission”

Key plot points and events

• Song Chen upgrades Starcore Thunder Prison and Eternal Body from their third to sixth layers, spending one trillion Killing Value. Thunder Prison reaches peak Star Crown level, while Eternal Body greatly increases his durability and regenerative ability.
• He spends his remaining three trillion Killing Value on 300 points of Star Origin Power. The dangerous breakthrough raises his total from 101 to 401 and sends a powerful energy surge through the North District of Blazing Fire Platform, alarming nearby soldiers and drawing Turik and Kalian.
• Two days later, the 68th War Zone receives a support mission: two friendly units are trapped in an asteroid belt roughly 80 billion kilometers away after an enemy assault.
• Turik leads sixteen available warships, joined by Kalian’s expanded elite squad and two additional Eighth Rank fighters: Aoba of the Moonshadow Civilization and Rockspike of the Rockiron Civilization. The teams travel through a military Jump Window.
• Song Chen chooses to fight independently. As the force departs, the enemy leader Klavisu learns their destination and sets out to take revenge on Song Chen for Kogula.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Chen methodically strengthens himself before returning to combat. Despite the pain of his upgrades, he remains composed, and his new power astonishes the soldiers who witness it.
• Turik and Kalian react with a mixture of concern and exasperated amusement to Song Chen’s latest dramatic energy surge.
• During the mission briefing, Turik assigns the teams to the center and flanks, but lets Song Chen choose his own role. Song Chen opts to operate alone.
• Klavisu’s intelligence reports reveal that the departing force has five Eighth Rank fighters but no Ninth Rank fighter. Convinced the opportunity has come, he prepares to confront Song Chen.

Significant themes

• Power gained through sacrifice: Song Chen’s upgrades and breakthrough involve intense physical pain, which he endures to prepare for stronger enemies.
• Escalating danger: The support mission sends a larger force into a crisis involving a substantial enemy assault group, while Klavisu’s pursuit adds a personal threat.
• Independence and confidence: Song Chen’s choice to operate alone reflects his growing strength and self-reliance, though it may also expose him to greater risk.

Plot and key events

• Song Chen arrives at a chaotic space battle where Moonshadow and allied forces are close to being overwhelmed by Blood-Eclipse Lifeforms and their allies. Warships are destroyed, transports are breached, and defenders have formed a desperate barricade from wreckage.
• Turik orders the reinforcements to spread out, rescue survivors, and counterattack. Song Chen immediately joins the hardest-pressed sections of the line.
• He kills five Seventh-Rank Heavy-Armor Destroyers in one strike, then uses his Starcore Thunder Prison to wipe out hundreds of Sixth-Rank scouts.
• Song Chen moves through the battlefield, rapidly clearing enemy hordes and rescuing the defenders from immediate pressure. When three Eighth-Rank enemies attack, he kills two almost instantly. The third flees; he lets her go and returns to fighting the lower-rank forces.
• His intervention gives the allied troops room to hold the line, though the battle remains brutal.

Character developments

• Song Chen’s growth is made unmistakable: now Eighth Rank, he overwhelms enemies several ranks below him and dispatches powerful opponents with ease. He stays focused on protecting the battlefield rather than pursuing a fleeing enemy.
• Turik and the other defenders recognize Song Chen’s increased strength and the extraordinary scale of his contribution.

Character interactions

• Turik coordinates the reinforcements and directs them to save survivors and defend the transports.
• A bloodied defender calls out when Song Chen arrives, lifting morale. Other soldiers recognize him and use the space he clears to regroup and hold their positions.
• The allied troops watch Song Chen’s feats in awe. Turik remarks that Song Chen has grown stronger, while another fighter warns the others not to compare themselves with him and undermine their confidence.

Significant themes

• War’s brutality: The battlefield is filled with wreckage, casualties, and soldiers fighting on despite severe wounds.
• Individual power amid collective survival: Song Chen’s strength changes the course of local fights, but the defenders’ survival still depends on soldiers holding the line together.
• Courage and endurance: The wounded and outnumbered troops continue resisting even when defeat seems near.
• Power and perspective: Song Chen’s extraordinary ability inspires allies, while also serving as an unfair standard for ordinary fighters.

Key events

• Song Chen helps turn the battle in the allies’ favor, earning Killing Value rapidly as the enemy formation collapses.
• A Broodmother the size of Blue Star emerges through a spatial rift, suppressing everyone on the battlefield. Ninth Rank fighter Klavisu steps out and targets Song Chen, revealing the attack was planned as revenge for his son’s death.
• Song Chen recognizes he cannot defeat Klavisu directly and uses Void Traverse to evade him. He fights off swarms of Broodmother combat forms with Thunder Prison, but his attacks cannot penetrate Klavisu’s Ninth Rank defenses.
• Klavisu unleashes a powerful dark-star attack. Song Chen survives through his armor and Eternal Body, though he is badly hurt. He provokes Klavisu by insulting his dead son.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Chen is more mobile and powerful than before, gaining Killing Value at over twice his former rate. He remains tactical under pressure, prioritizing escape over a hopeless fight, and shows defiance even while injured.
• Klavisu is a formidable Ninth Rank enemy who pursues Song Chen relentlessly, driven by revenge. His initial confidence shifts to surprise when Song Chen survives his strongest attack.
• Their interaction is defined by Klavisu’s threats and taunts, met with Song Chen’s silence during the chase and a final deliberate insult.

Significant themes

• The vast gap between ranks makes raw power an inadequate answer to a stronger foe; survival depends on mobility, judgment, and resilience.
• Victory can bring sudden peril: as the allied battle turns, a concealed, carefully planned threat appears.
• Defiance and endurance persist even when the odds are overwhelmingly against the protagonist.

Key plot points and events

• Song Chen withstands Klavisu’s relentless attacks through the combined protection of his Silver Radiance Battle Armor and the sixth layer of the Eternal Body, which rapidly heals even severe injuries.
• Unable to kill him, Klavisu orders his forces to surround Song Chen. Song Chen turns the pursuit to his advantage, fighting through a graveyard of wrecked warships and killing large numbers of enemies. His Killing Value rises from just over four trillion to 5.3 trillion.
• Klavisu escalates his attacks, tearing open space and later shrinking his body to move faster. A spatial attack badly injures Song Chen’s leg, but he resets the bone and heals within moments.
• A powerful punch sends Song Chen crashing through several wrecks and leaves him bloodied. Klavisu assumes he is dead, but Song Chen gets back up.
• Recognizing that Klavisu’s close-range punches are especially dangerous, Song Chen changes tactics. He keeps his distance and uses the wreckage and other debris for cover, while Klavisu’s increasingly uncontrolled attacks create opportunities to kill more enemies.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Chen proves extraordinarily resilient and resourceful. Though he cannot overpower Klavisu, he stays calm under pressure, exploits the battlefield, and adapts his tactics after taking a heavy hit.
• Klavisu becomes increasingly enraged and unsettled by Song Chen’s refusal to die. His frustration makes his attacks wilder and less controlled.
• Their exchanges are openly hostile: Song Chen taunts Klavisu about his son, while Klavisu repeatedly threatens to kill him. Klavisu’s shock at Song Chen’s survival gradually replaces his confidence.

Significant themes

• Endurance and survival: Song Chen survives injuries that would incapacitate or kill most fighters.
• Adaptability over brute force: Unable to win a direct contest of strength, he relies on movement, cover, and the chaos of the battlefield.
• Turning pressure into advantage: Klavisu’s order to surround Song Chen supplies him with more enemies to kill—and increases his Killing Value.

Key plot points and events

• Song Chen escapes deeper into a vast cloud of ice crystals, whose interference repeatedly breaks Lar’s ability to track him. He uses the cover to kill enemy forces while Lar blasts the cloud in frustration.
• Rather than use the Silver Radiance Battle Armor’s emergency jump, Song Chen stays to gather Killing Value. He moves between battlefields, using his Starcore Thunder Prison against dense groups, striking Eighth Ranks when he can, and fleeing whenever Lar approaches.
• Lar eventually abandons the chase and orders a massive encirclement, using the Broodmother and waves of low-tier organisms to hem Song Chen in. Song Chen can no longer teleport freely, so he fights directly through the enemy ranks, gaining enormous Killing Value with each sweeping blade strike.
• After hours of combat, Song Chen’s Killing Value reaches twelve trillion, but his Star Origin Power is nearly exhausted. As he prepares to escape, Qiu Ya, the highest defense commander of the 68th War Zone, arrives to rescue him.
• Faced with Qiu Ya’s strength and Song Chen’s continued survival, Lar retreats, sacrificing low-tier forces to cover his escape. Qiu Ya and Song Chen leave for the 68th War Zone; Song Chen’s Killing Value has risen to thirteen trillion.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Chen shows patience and tactical discipline, postponing an easy escape to exploit the battlefield for Killing Value. Under prolonged pressure, he becomes almost mechanically focused on killing, yet remains clear-minded enough to consider how to evade Lar. He ends the battle exhausted but alive.
• Lar grows increasingly frustrated as Song Chen repeatedly slips away. His shift from personal pursuit to mass encirclement shows his willingness to sacrifice subordinate forces, but Qiu Ya’s arrival forces him to retreat.
• Qiu Ya appears as a formidable, battle-worn commander who cuts through the enemy to reach Song Chen. He challenges Lar directly, then checks on Song Chen and escorts him home.
• Song Chen thanks Qiu Ya for the rescue, while Qiu Ya acknowledges that Song Chen’s ability to survive the pursuit was itself impressive.

Significant themes

• Survival through adaptability: Song Chen shifts between concealment, escape, and direct combat as circumstances change.
• Power and endurance: His Eternal Body repairs wounds, but the battle still drains his energy, showing that persistence has limits.
• Cost of warfare: Lar treats low-tier organisms as disposable shields, while the battlefield fills with corpses and shattered forces.
• Turning danger into opportunity: The pursuit meant to kill Song Chen instead lets him accumulate a vast amount of Killing Value.