"Moon!"
Through the Heavenly Net System, that single word echoed across the bridges of every flying vessel.
Everyone froze.
Moon?
The Taiyin Star?
At a moment like this, why was this the message Lu Ya had risked his life to bring back?
"Quick! Bring the Crown Prince in!"
Xihe's shrill cry snapped everyone out of it.
Several demon warships immediately turned about, unleashing countless Demonic Arts and Divine Abilities at the blood-red streak pursuing him.
Yaksa King's figure paused slightly amid the dense barrage.
His scarlet eyes turned toward the massive United Fleet ahead.
He did not continue the pursuit.
He merely cast one deep look at Lu Ya's shuttle before silently melting into the chaotic mist.
He had given up.
Or rather, his mission had already been completed.
He had successfully delivered a scalding hot potato—one capable of igniting the entire alliance—right into Chen Ran's hands.
The shuttle was pulled into the flagship's hangar by a tractor beam.
The hatch opened.
Covered in blood, Lu Ya rolled out from within.
His body was covered in horrific wounds eroded by the Slaughter Laws, and his golden blood had nearly drained away.
"My son!"
With a mournful cry, Xihe rushed forward and gathered him into her arms.
"Where is Xing? Where is Xing?"
A human elder asked anxiously.
Lu Ya struggled to lift his head. He looked at Chen Ran, then at all the concerned faces around him.
His eyes were full of pain and self-reproach.
He shook his head.
That motion made everyone's hearts sink.
Xing.
The human race's last battle shaman, the man who could slay a Great Shaman with his bare body alone.
To cover Lu Ya's retreat, he had remained forever within that violent Solar Forbidden Zone.
A solemn, tragic atmosphere spread through the bridge.
"Your Majesty!"
Chen Ran looked toward Nuwa at the head seat.
Nuwa sighed and extended her jade-like hand. A drop of emerald-green liquid containing boundless Creation Power flew into Lu Ya's mouth.
It was her Origin Life Essence.
Lu Ya's wounds began healing at a visible rate.
A trace of color also returned to his pale face.
He struggled to his feet, ignoring his own injuries.
He walked before Chen Ran and, using the last of his strength, reached out and pressed a finger to Chen Ran's brow.
A vast stream of information, filled with an ancient and tragic aura, instantly flooded into Chen Ran's mind.
It was the final Observation Record left behind by Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi.
As the "jailers" of the sun, it contained all their research on that prison over countless ages.
More importantly, it was the sole glimmer of hope Eastern Emperor Taiyi had deduced with the last of his strength before his fall.
Chen Ran's body jolted violently.
His pupils contracted to pinpoints.
So that was it.
So this was how it all fit together.
Every mighty figure on the bridge watched Chen Ran nervously.
They knew that the ultimate secret concerning the Future of the Primordial Era now rested in this mortal's hands.
Chen Ran slowly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, every trace of emotion had vanished.
What replaced it was absolute, icy rationality.
He walked up to the main console and displayed the two pieces of intelligence they had just obtained side by side.
One was the threat from Emperor Withered Bone and the Netherworld Realm.
The other was the truth Lu Ya had brought back concerning the Solar Cage and the Taiyin Key.
Two apocalyptic crises.
They now stood before everyone at once.
"We currently have two enemies."
Chen Ran's calm voice rang out.
"One is the invader from the Netherworld Realm, Emperor Withered Bone. His goal is to devour our world."
"The other is the prisoner Father God Pangu suppressed within the Solar Star, the strongest Chaos Demon God. His goal is to burn our world to ashes."
"We cannot confront either one alone."
His words simply stated a cruel fact.
Everyone fell silent.
The faint hope that had just arisen was once more swallowed by an even greater despair.
"Eastern Emperor Taiyi's plan was to gather the strength of the entire Primordial World, open the prison proactively, and utterly destroy that demon god while it was at its weakest."
Chen Ran continued.
"But that plan has one prerequisite."
"A complete, united Primordial World with no external enemies."
"And right now, we do not have that prerequisite."
"Not only are we divided within, but an even more terrifying invader has already arrived at our doorstep."
Zhao Gongming could not help speaking up.
"Then what should we do? Just wait for death?"
"No."
Chen Ran shook his head.
His gaze moved back and forth between the two faces representing destruction on the light screen.
"When a problem cannot be solved through addition."
"Perhaps we can try multiplication."
"What does that mean?"
Bai Ze frowned. He did not understand.
Chen Ran did not answer directly.
His finger swept across the Star Chart, lighting up three locations.
The Primordial World continent.
The Solar Star.
The Taiyin Star.
"Eastern Emperor Taiyi's plan was correct."
"But the method of carrying it out needs to change."
"He wanted to unite the entire Primordial World. But now, the ones we need to unite are our enemies."
That statement made everyone think they had heard wrong.
Unite their enemies?
A mad curve lifted at the corner of Chen Ran's mouth.
"Emperor Withered Bone wants to devour the Primordial World."
"The Chaos Demon God wants to destroy the Primordial World."
"Their goals overlap, but they are not completely aligned."
"One wants to eat the cake. The other wants to flip the table."
"They are not friends."
An incomparably bold, incomparably insane idea exploded in everyone's minds.
They stared at Chen Ran in horror.
This mortal, he wanted to...
"We are going to the Taiyin Star to obtain the key."
Chen Ran's voice was resolute.
"Then we will not go to the Solar Star."
His finger struck heavily against the map of the Primordial World.
That place was filled with towering blood waves and resentment that pierced the heavens.
It was the Netherworld Blood Sea!
"We will go meet the 'traitor' of our Primordial World, Ancestor Minghe."
"Then we will place this choice before him."
"Will he help us fight Emperor Withered Bone, who seeks to devour his Blood Sea?"
A dangerous light flickered in Chen Ran's eyes.
"Or will he force us to open another Gate of Hell with this key on his doorstep—one capable of burning him and his Blood Sea to ashes together?"
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