Materials on Celestial Beings

Li Jingliu sheathed his long saber on the rack, turned, and walked out of the training room.

His dark purple training uniform drifted lightly behind him. His pace was unhurried, yet every step landed heavily, leaving shallow prints on the wooden floor.

He was thinking about something.

Kong Chan had lost an arm, while Duan Nian was still lying in the Demon Blade Dojo, waiting to die.

Southern Martial Star Realm's strongest ally and the Grandmaster most skilled at energy purification—before Xu Wuyi's power of Order, one had been crippled, the other maimed.

Was this the effect Xu Wuyi had wanted?

It was not about killing Duan Nian, nor killing Kong Chan. It was about showing the entire Astral Battlefield what price anyone standing with the Southern Martial Star Realm would have to pay.

Li Jingliu entered his study and sat down before the desk. The rosewood desk still held the plea for aid sent by the Demon Blade Star Realm, its page corners curled from being turned too often.

He picked up a cinnabar brush and wrote a line on the memorial: Contact the Star Origin Federation and sound them out about whether they intend to negotiate. Keep the wording courteous, the attitude sincere; the terms are negotiable.

After writing that line, he set the brush back on its holder, leaned into his chair, and closed his eyes.

The study was so quiet that he could hear the faint crackle of the candle flame and the footsteps of Imperial Guards changing shifts atop the distant palace walls outside the window.

When news of Kong Chan's severed arm reached the intelligence centers of the Astral Battlefield's major civilizations, the reactions of their intelligence analysts were astonishingly uniform.

First came silence. Then sharp intakes of breath. Finally, they picked up