Chapter 1 Bright Silver Arm, the Mother Planet of the Arcane Church

A few minutes ago, the Bright Silver Arm, the Arcane Church's mother planet.

Inside the Round Table Hall, the Council of Bishops had gathered once more, seated in their respective positions, eyes closed in contemplation.

The Arcane Church unified divine and royal authority, faith and politics were inseparable, and the Council of Bishops held immense power. Each bishop's robe was lavish, with varying styles, colors, and patterns, representing the faith branch each bishop oversaw.

This operation had a significant impact, so the Council of Bishops personally supervised it.

Some time had passed since the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Transporter deployed the fleet. The Arcane Church lacked a quantum network communication system in the Shattered Star Ring and required special means to relay messages. Therefore, the Council of Bishops was still awaiting news from Sagman and the others.

One of the bishops checked the time and nodded. "They should have succeeded by now."

"It's about time, but why haven't we heard anything yet?" another bishop wondered.

"Perhaps they are still tallying their spoils."

Someone started the conversation, and the others whispered among themselves, remaining calm and confident that the operation would not encounter any unexpected events.

In their view, the Arcane Church had cooperated with the Radiant Federation this time, utilizing two cosmic treasures, the Pantheon Scepter and the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Transporter, as well as the extragalactic异神 (Different God) as a guarantee. The fleet outnumbered the Beacon Star garrison by more than two to one, and the Super-A Grade powerhouses were in a seven-to-three ratio. Although the opponent had Milizaus, one of the Three Pillars of the Empire, they had the talented "Photon" Sagman and "Divine Art" Nija, as well as the infamous異神 (Different God). In terms of quality and quantity, they far surpassed their opponents, possessing an overwhelming advantage. There was simply no reason to fail.

At that moment, the door to the room suddenly opened.

The ceiling of the Round Table Conference Hall was very high, and the door was also ten meters tall. It was pure white, and the texture did not resemble metal but rather smooth, warm, white jade. However, there were no seams, like a wall. Now, this white door began to transform into foam from the midline, contracting to both sides with a gurgling sound, like rolling liquid, but it did not open completely, only revealing a two-meter-wide gap. A figure walked into the room, backlit, and the gap closed behind him.

The Council of Bishops ceased their discussion, stood up, performed a salute, and bowed respectfully to this person.

"Your Holiness."

This person was the supreme leader of the Arcane Church. "教首 (Religious Leader)" was just the term in Interstellar Common Language. In the language of the Arcane Church, the position of 教首 (Religious Leader) was called "奥索米达特林 (Aosuo Midatelinke)," which meant "the divine shepherd saint spirit who spreads the gospel."

The Religious Leader hummed in acknowledgment, strode to the main seat, which was a floating white sphere. He sat down, and the sphere seemed soft, sinking in as it automatically adjusted to his body shape, adapting to his physical structure and transforming into the most suitable seat.

Only then did the Council of Bishops sit down. Seeing that the Religious Leader had only come to wait for news and did not intend to speak, they did not continue their discussion either.

After waiting for a while, light spots suddenly emerged in the center of the round table, gathering together and transforming into the remote projection of the fleet commander—the fleet had finally sent back its battle report.

The fleet commander gave a military salute, his face stiff. "Your Holiness, esteemed bishops… the battle has ended, and we are withdrawing."

"Good, bring back the Evolution Cube. We will send troops to meet you," one of the more impatient bishops said directly.

Hearing this, the fleet commander opened his mouth, a look of awkwardness on his face.

Seeing this, everyone was puzzled. The commander sent out this time was also an elite in the military. Why would he be so hesitant?

"Did something unexpected happen?" someone asked.

"…Yes, we did not complete the mission. The operation failed," the fleet commander replied, steeling himself.

The higher-ups had mobilized so many resources, giving them every advantage. Yet, in such a favorable situation, they had failed to complete even one task assigned by the higher-ups. Not only that, but they had also lost a Super-A Grade powerhouse. The commander only felt extremely ashamed, and he knew that his future was likely over.

"Failed?!" The Council of Bishops immediately erupted in an uproar, anger rising in their hearts. They had mobilized so many resources, and with such a huge advantage, they still failed? Should they just ask him to commit suicide?!

"Tell us the specifics. How did you fail? We gave you two tasks: to seize the Evolution Cube and to kill Milizaus and other Imperial Super-A Grades. You wouldn't have failed at both, would you?"

"…Yes, we were unable to defeat Black Star and the others, did not seize the Evolution Cube, and did not kill or capture any Imperial Super-A Grades…"

The faces of the Council of Bishops twitched. They had failed to seize the Evolution Cube? Alright, after all, Black Star had neutralized Sysko's psychic induction, so it wasn't impossible to fail. But at the very least, they should have killed a Super-A Grade powerhouse, right? They couldn't even achieve this minimum requirement? Did they think that their cooperation with the Radiant Federation and the exorbitant price they paid to borrow the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Transporter were for sending them on a vacation?!

One of the bishops couldn't help but question, "You brought the Pantheon Scepter with you this time. How could you not even kill a single Super-A Grade? Didn't Sagman and the others use it?"

"Yes, they did…"

"Then how did it turn out like this?"

"It was Black Star. Sagman and the others originally used the Pantheon Scepter to severely injure Milizaus, but Black Star used some unknown means to directly block the attack of the Pantheon Scepter!"

The Council of Bishops frowned. The Pantheon Scepter was not undefendable, but most methods would be penetrated. They had seen Black Star's intelligence and understood his abilities to date. He did not seem to possess the means to block the Pantheon Scepter. Moreover, this was the first time they had used the Pantheon Scepter against him. Black Star did not know the attacking properties of the Pantheon Scepter beforehand, nor did he know that they would use this weapon. Therefore, it was unlikely that he could have prepared a countermeasure in advance.

"There's also one more thing… The Pantheon Scepter was sealed by Black Star using unknown means. Sagman and the others said that they couldn't undo it. This is the specific situation…" As he spoke, the fleet commander pressed a button on the communicator, showing everyone the current state of the Pantheon Scepter.

The expressions of the Council of Bishops changed. The Pantheon Scepter was their great weapon for deterring Super-A Grades, but it had been sealed by some kind of substance, and no energy could penetrate it… Even Super-A Grade mages could not dissolve it. What kind of strange substance was this?

One of the bishops suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "Useless. Bring the Pantheon Scepter back for research."

At this moment, another person knocked on the table and questioned, "The Pantheon Scepter can't be used, but you still have seven Super-A Grades. You still have the ability to eliminate the enemy. Why did you withdraw without completing the mission?"

The fleet commander's face was unsightly. He gritted his teeth and said, "Everyone, the enemy has more than three Super-A Grades. We didn't know in advance that Black Star had secretly reached a cooperation with Austin. He had been waiting near Beacon Star and intervened in this battle. Moreover, the 异神 (Different God) was bought off by Black Star and deserted, taking away his troops. Dillon was also captured by Black Star. If we continued to entangle, the Empire's reinforcements would arrive. We were forced to withdraw…"

After listening to the fleet commander's hurried description of the battle process and result, the Council of Bishops couldn't sit still. Their faces were livid, and they were shocked and enraged.

The failure of the operation was already infuriating enough, but not only did they fail to complete the mission, they also fought with overwhelming numbers and didn't kill a single enemy. Instead, they lost a Super-A Grade powerhouse?!

A bunch of trash!

If they weren't considering the reputation of Super-A Grades, several bishops would have scolded them directly.

At this moment, the Religious Leader, who had been silently listening, spoke, his expressionless.

"Dispatch troops to reinforce the Shattered Star Ring to prevent the Empire from destroying our local Star Gate Station. Be sure to meet Sagman and the others and escort them back to the Central Star Sea, and send reinforcements to avoid the Crimson Empire's interception along the way. At the same time, strengthen the border defenses of the Bright Silver Arm to prevent the Empire from launching a retaliatory counterattack, and notify the garrison troops in all star systems to enter a state of military readiness."

After speaking, the Religious Leader stood up and directly left, flicking his sleeves. Although he did not express his emotions on his face, the people in the Council of Bishops knew the Religious Leader's personality well and were afraid that he was extremely angry in his heart.

…

At the same time, the Radiant Federation also received the news.

"The Arcane Church failed?"

President Bader was somewhat surprised as he browsed through the intelligence and narrowed his eyes.

"I really didn't expect it…" The Chief Elder of the Council tapped his cane and said in a strange tone, "In this situation, the Arcane Church was actually repelled by Beacon Star. Aren't they too useless?"

Bader did not answer, swiping his fingers on the virtual screen to bring up Black Star's information. He said slowly, "Rather than saying that the Arcane Church was repelled by the Beacon Star garrison, it would be more accurate to say that they suffered a setback at the hands of Black Star. Tarrokov is a well-known Crimson Empire marshal who is good at defense. Relying on a fleet that is less than half the size of the opponent's is enough to hold out for a period of time. That's not strange. The real breakthrough was the Super-A Grade battlefield. Black Star reversed the situation, which then affected the entire situation."

"The Arcane Church lost a Super-A Grade powerhouse. Tsk tsk… they suffered a great loss this time." The Chief Elder of the Council gloated.

Bader also smiled faintly. Although he was cooperating with the Arcane Church, he wished to see a situation where both sides were injured. No matter what the Crimson Empire and the Arcane Church fought, the Radiant Federation would benefit.

After all, they had not sent troops, but had only lent out the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Transporter once. Even if the Empire wanted to retaliate, it would mainly target the Arcane Church and would not do anything too extreme to the Radiant Federation.

"President, what are you planning to do next?"

Bader folded his hands and propped his chin up, pondering for a while. He slowly said, "The Crimson Empire will not easily let go of the Arcane Church's raiding team… Mobilize our troops and allies in the Shattered Star Ring to intervene in the Empire's subsequent pursuit battle."

"Are you planning to help the Arcane Church escape?"

"No, our cooperation with the Arcane Church is limited to borrowing the Transporter. That was just a transaction, and since the transaction is over, there is naturally no need to continue cooperating…" Bader's eyes flashed. "Help the Empire intercept the Arcane Church fleet!"

The Chief Elder of the Council shook his head helplessly.

Too bad. He sold his partner in the blink of an eye… However, they were not allies with the Arcane Church to begin with. They were just taking advantage of the Empire's exploration of the Shattered Star Ring to target the Empire together. The three major universe civilizations had always been competitors. If there were benefits, they would cooperate together. If there were no benefits, they would fight openly and secretly. Everyone was used to it.

The Chief Elder of the Council recalled something and chuckled, "Speaking of which, the biggest winner this time seems to be the 异神 (Different God)."

"I don't think so. It's just an opportunity to use the Evolution Cube. What does that little bit of harvest count for?"

Bader shifted his gaze and looked at Han Xiao's information again, saying slowly, "The Arcane Church is in the wrong. The Empire will definitely issue a statement on this matter, so Black Star's battle record in this battle will spread throughout the universe. A Super-A Grade who has killed or captured an opponent of the same level has a completely different level of deterrence. Moreover, the Arcane Church mainly targeted him this time, but he forced them back, which is equivalent to stepping on the Arcane Church to rise to power. His influence will usher in a surge. Not only that, but he has made great contributions in this battle, and his status in the Empire will be greatly improved, giving him more say… Black Star is the biggest winner this time."

…

The battle had just ended, and while the top echelons of the three major civilizations were receiving battle reports, Han Xiao flew into a Black Star Army warship, asking Phillip to tally the losses and summon the officers.

The Black Star Army did not have many fleets left at Beacon Star. During the battle, the Imperial fleet was the main force, so the warship losses were not many. On the other hand, all the Calamity Grade Bodyguards had taken action. He didn't know if there were any losses.

Walking into the cabin, Aurora was already waiting there. As soon as she saw Han Xiao, she immediately pounced over, giving him a body check.

Aurora tiptoed and hugged him, her arms tightly wrapped around Han Xiao's waist.

"I'm so glad you're okay. I was so worried just now!" Aurora said with lingering fear, burying her head in Han Xiao's arms, constantly arching, as if she wanted to drill into Han Xiao's eight-pack abs.

Smelling the refreshing scent of Aurora's body, Han Xiao's tense nerves gradually relaxed.

Facing seven Super-A Grades at the same time was very dangerous. Not only was he getting beaten up, but he was also constantly enduring the pain of advancement. Now that he relaxed, he felt a burst of fatigue, and all parts of his body throbbed faintly. The pain of advancement had not completely disappeared.

Looking down at Aurora, feeling the soft touch in his arms, Han Xiao's mood relaxed a lot. He raised his hand and rubbed Aurora's head. Her smooth hair felt incredibly silky.

"Where's your sister? Is she okay?"

"Yes, I transfused her with life force several times. She's alive too."

Just then, the cabin door opened again, and Hela led a group of Bodyguards in. Everyone was injured, but no one died. This was all thanks to the life potions that Aurora had created. Each Bodyguard was equipped with some of Aurora's potions, which were effective enough to guarantee the lives of these Calamity Grade Bodyguards.

Aurora turned her head and looked out from the gap in Han Xiao's arm. Seeing that Hela was injured and bleeding, she hurriedly left Han Xiao's embrace and ran over in small steps.

"Ah, sister, you're injured. I'll heal you."

However, Hela waved her hand and refused, saying lightly, "The battle is over. These small injuries will recover after a while. Don't waste your life force casually."

As she spoke, she turned her head and looked at the Bodyguards behind her. "You're not allowed to use it either… Well, Fording is an exception."

Hadaway and the others had originally hoped that Aurora would give them a healing, but when they heard what Hela said, they could only give up.

"Why am I an exception?"

Fording looked helpless and pointed at his head. "Don't get me wrong, Morning Star asked me to ask."

"Black Star said that you're lucky, so let us rub off on it." Hela said truthfully.

Then, Hela turned to look at Han Xiao, sizing him up. Seeing that he was not missing any arms or legs, she heaved a sigh of relief. Her red lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she didn't say anything. She only nodded.

At this moment, Hadaway suddenly asked, "I heard you captured a Super-A Grade. Where is he?"

As soon as he said this, everyone became curious. This was the first time their Legion Commander had directly defeated a Super-A Grade powerhouse. They all wanted to see the Super-A Grade prisoner.

Han Xiao smiled and had the mechanical troops bring Dillon in. Dillon's entire body was bound by machinery, like an iron mummy, leaving only his face exposed.

These restraints could not restrict the actions of a Super-A Grade, but Dillon knew that he had been abandoned. He was in enemy territory, his teammates had run away, and resistance was meaningless. He had no choice but to accept his fate and accept the reality of becoming a prisoner.

The Bodyguards gathered around to look at him, commenting and discussing him.

"He was defeated in one move. He's so weak."

"Can you speak properly? It's obviously that Legion Commander is too strong!" Hadaway said angrily.

"Yes, yes, yes, you're more enlightened!"

Dillon's expression was unsightly. A dignified Super-A Grade powerhouse was actually being treated like an animal for them to observe. He couldn't help but want to activate his abilities to teach these Calamity Grades a lesson.

Even if a tiger falls on the plains, it's not their turn to humiliate him!

"You want to resist?" Han Xiao noticed the energy fluctuations and his expression turned unfriendly.

"Get your subordinates to get away from me!" Dillon roared, "Don't think that you can humiliate me just because you captured me. Even if I'm controlled by you, I can easily kill them."

"Oh, you reminded me. Binding you like this doesn't seem safe enough."

The corners of Han Xiao's mouth curled up. He took out the Time Amber and hooked his other finger, causing Dillon to float in mid-air.

The Bodyguards knew the effect of this thing and revealed playful expressions, backing away.

Seeing everyone's playful expressions, Dillon suddenly had a bad feeling. He asked vigilantly, "What are you trying to do?"

"Don't worry, you're already a prisoner. Not only will I not harm you, but I'll also protect your safety."

Han Xiao grinned. "Trust me, I will definitely not let you suffer any harm."

He activated the Time Amber, and after a long while, the freezing range finally covered Dillon's entire body. Han Xiao immediately cut off the energy supply—Dillon was now a prisoner, and there was enough time to create an amber ball.

In the next moment, the mutated time materialized, and the amber ball instantly took shape, freezing Dillon inside. His shocked expression was directly frozen.

"This way, we don't have to waste manpower guarding him." Han Xiao chuckled.

Hadaway knocked on the amber ball and said with a snicker, "Can you easily kill me now?"

Dillon was frozen, but he still maintained his perception and thinking ability toward the outside world. He discovered that his body could not move, and he was shocked.

So this is the ability to seal the Pantheon Scepter? This is not Black Star's ability!

Besides the Evolution Cube, Black Star has another cosmic treasure?!

After teasing the immobile Dillon for a while, the Bodyguards dispersed. Everyone was tired after a big battle and all went back to rest.

Watching everyone leave, Han Xiao restrained his smile and opened the interface.

He now had the time to tally the losses and gains of this battle.

—

(py recommends a book, 《降临诸天》(Descent of the Heavens), author 三丈红尘 (Three Feet of the Mortal World), the protagonist is a muscular man with a small pe**s, very reckless, introduction: Ye Chen traveled through ten thousand years of time and was reborn in the era of mankind's Great Descent in the myriad worlds. With the help of the attribute point addition ability that came with him, he dominated the myriad worlds.)