The earth trembled with it. A soldier of the Chiyou Tribe looked behind him, froze in shock, and shouted in terror, "We're surrounded!"
The warriors' hands faltered, and they looked behind them.
More than ten thousand people were slowly approaching from the distance, a fiery red banner fluttering in the wind.
The prominent character for "Yan" emblazoned on it marked them as reinforcements from the Yan Emperor Tribe.
Before the war even began, Xuanyuan Huangdi had realized that his tribe alone would struggle to withstand the Chiyou Tribe.
So he and the Yan Emperor had let their old grievances melt like ice, shaken hands in peace, and joined forces against the Chiyou Tribe.
After all, the Chiyou Tribe were merely outsiders to Central Province.
The Yan Emperor and Xuanyuan were family, both descended from Shao Dian's sons.
Chiyou looked at the enemies behind him and knew he might lose. He took a deep breath and slowly looked around at his soldiers. He said nothing, but his resolve was firm.
Then he abruptly turned toward the Yellow Emperor's position and pointed ahead. "Seize their king! Kill!"
He charged madly toward the Yellow Emperor with his personal guards. His warriors followed, fearless in the face of death, abandoning defense entirely as every swing of their blades sought a life.
Some Chiyou Tribe soldiers had already fallen, yet they still clung tightly to the legs of Xuanyuan soldiers with both arms, refusing to let go.
Seeing this from the rear, the Yellow Emperor's expression changed. He shouted to the soldiers around him, "The reinforcements will be here any moment! Hold on!"
The Yan Emperor Tribe.
Watching Chiyou draw ever closer to the Yellow Emperor, the Yan Emperor suddenly asked to be set down so he could walk, while ordering his tribe to quicken their pace.
After running just a few steps, he fell to the ground. His personal guards hurried to help their leader up. Seeing this, the generals around him hastily shouted to prevent a stampede, "Stop!"
"Stop!"
Gradually, the entire Yan Emperor Tribe came to a halt. The Yan Emperor struggled several times but still failed to get up.
Sitting on the ground, he looked at the generals around him with a rueful smile. "I'm old, old. My body isn't as nimble anymore. Don't worry about me. Keep the troops moving. Saving the Xuanyuan Tribe matters more."
How could the generals of the Yan Emperor Tribe dare move? They kept massaging his feet and legs.
Watching from the sky, Zhang Yang was rather speechless. "This sneaky bastard. That's award-winning acting."
Xuanyuan Huangdi watched Chiyou draw ever closer and the Yan Emperor Tribe remain motionless in the distance. His spirits sank.
"Ah, a man must rely on himself." The Yellow Emperor drew his longsword, looked at the soldiers around him, and said calmly, "Our people are behind us. Our elders, women, and children are all at our backs. I'll lead the charge. Follow me."
He then drew his bronze sword and charged toward Chiyou. At the sight, his personal guards shouted, "Charge!"
The largest tribe in Central Province underwent a change in mindset. With the resolve of men who had smashed their cooking pots and sunk their boats, they charged madly at the Chiyou Tribe. The fighting between the two sides grew extraordinarily fierce.
Just then, the medal gave off a faint golden glow. Zhang Yang looked at it in puzzlement.
An email-like document arrived. After sensing its contents, Zhang Yang failed to contain his emotions for a moment, and the entire planet suddenly trembled.
Zhang Yang immediately brought his emotions under control. To the living creatures, it had been like an earthquake.
Upon examining it with his perception, he understood the document's contents.
With the change in mindset of Blue Star's largest tribe, the planet's combat power had reached the upper limit of a First-Level Civilization: 10,000 points.
This email-like document was a notification from the Starry Sky Virtual Platform.
Its general meaning was that Zhang Yang's planet had reached the peak of a First-Level Civilization and was about to advance to a Second-Level Civilization.
The prerequisite for advancing to a Second-Level Civilization was a star war between two planet lords at the peak of the same level.
The victor would advance to a Second-Level Civilization, while the defeated planet lord would be devoured by the other and converted into energy points.
All living resources on the defeated planet would become the victor's slaves.
The document also mentioned that a star war was a war between the living creatures of two planets. Both planet lords could command from a god's-eye view, but neither could intervene directly with divine power.
Two completely randomly selected civilizations at the peak of level one would face off. The Star Gate function would activate then, with one side attacking and the other defending. The defending side would have the home-field advantage.
However, the planet lord could not act directly against the invaders. Otherwise, they would be punished by the Cosmic Elders Council and likewise fail to advance.
As for where the Star Gate would open, its location on the defending planet would be random and would only become known the moment it opened.
The notification would arrive only once the combat power of the planet's living creatures reached its peak. After the notification, the star war would officially begin thirty years later. A countdown was displayed on the medal.
During this period, the planet lord could not use energy points to accelerate the planet's time, but could use these final years to prepare for battle.
Or they could spend their remaining energy points on Soul-Entrancing Wine at the virtual platform's tavern and wait to die.
This tested the overall qualities of the creatures a planet lord had created, including their potential, intelligence, and combat prowess.
Zhang Yang felt angry and helpless. There had been no warning whatsoever that advancing to a Second-Level Civilization came with such brutal conditions.
It seemed that the demoted level-two planet lord he had met in the tavern had never passed on this crucial information.
Perhaps he had not wanted to. Perhaps he had not been allowed to.
Looking at the fighting still raging below, Zhang Yang directed his consciousness, and fierce winds swept across the battlefield.
The battling soldiers could not even keep their eyes open in the wind and raised their hands to shield themselves.
Dark clouds filled the sky and condensed into the shape of a black giant. Its head had no facial features, yet it slowly lowered its head as though gazing at them all.
Every soldier on the ground discarded their weapons, fell to their knees, and prayed without cease.
Father God was angry!
Every tribe enshrined a statue that looked no different from the Human Race, except that it had no facial features.
According to legend, the statue depicted Father God, the creator.
Father God had passed knowledge such as making fire with a wooden drill and writing to the Fire Ancestor.
The Fire Ancestor had spread that knowledge among the Human Race. Only then had they learned that they were the Human Race, could eat cooked food, recognize the myriad things in the world, and awaken their intelligence.
The Yellow Emperor and Chiyou both paled and hurriedly shouted, "Stop! Stop fighting!"
They then hurried to the front of their soldiers and knelt on the ground.
The Yellow Emperor and Chiyou had both received Father God's guidance in their dreams. Bronze craft and other knowledge had all been imparted to them by Father God in dreams.
By now, there was nothing wrong with the Yan Emperor's feet. He ran swiftly from the middle of his troops to the very front and knelt on the ground.
The Yan Emperor's lineage had passed down through the generations the knowledge that Father God truly existed.
The giant in the sky slowly spoke. "Born of the same root, why are you so eager to boil one another alive?"
"Birth, aging, sickness, and death, and the rise and fall of tribes, are all part of the cycle of heaven's way. These are the laws of nature. As Father God, I had not intended to interfere.
"This world is vast. The planet you inhabit is called Blue Star, and I am its lord-the one you call Father God."
"I have always watched humanity's development from the heavens. You have cut through thorns and brambles all along the way, pressing bravely forward. You have developed well, and I am deeply gratified."
"The Human Race is a single whole, and Blue Star is also a single whole. There are many other planets like Blue Star, and other civilizations exist beyond it."
"Though a man has no wish to hurt a tiger, the tiger may wish to harm him. In the universe, the strong prevail and the weak are eliminated. Thirty years from now, our Blue Star will face its first life-or-death trial: a star war."
"This will be a war between two planets, two civilizations. It will not end until death, until the races of one planet emerge victorious."
"The other side also has a Father God. We will restrain one another and cannot intervene directly in your war. So from now on, you must unite all the Human Race's strength and fight at your strongest."
Looking at the pale-faced Human Race below, Zhang Yang continued, "Whenever a civilization reaches its zenith, it will face a life-or-death trial. I hope the Human Race will grow braver with every battle and follow Father God to wage war across the heavens. Are you willing?"
The Human Race below first fell silent as one. Then Chiyou was the first to shout, "My Chiyou Tribe is willing to follow Father God and wage war across the heavens!"
He was a warmonger through and through, as well as the member of the Human Race with the greatest martial prowess on Blue Star at present.
Xuanyuan Huangdi immediately declared his stance as well. "Our lives were bestowed by Father God. We of the Human Race are willing to follow Father God and wage war across the heavens!"
Seeing both men declare their stances, the Yan Emperor hurriedly added, "Same here!"
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