Chapter 63: Retreat (Extra Update)

Claire recalled the intelligence that Yao Yuan and his companions had obtained, and hurriedly explained to the others, “Professor Yao Yuan and his colleagues must have witnessed the terrifying power of divine arts firsthand, which is why they so anxiously warned us.”

Everyone present now remembered Yao Yuan’s anxious expression and urgent gestures.

“Danger, Tiansky Star is extremely dangerous—quickly, you must escape.”

It became clear that throughout this chaotic incident, Professor Yao Yuan had kept a clear head, perceiving the gravity of the situation sooner than anyone else. His warning was not without cause.

“We must take his warning seriously and reconsider our plan of action,” Lu Hongfeng said gravely.

…

Inside the Central Temple, the five representatives from Earth civilization kept their eyes fixed on the awe-inspiring battle unfolding in the sky. They had long understood the extraordinary nature of divine arts, and knew that Shen Xing possessed the ability to foresee the future—as if he had already laid out an invincible game.

But witnessing Shen Xing’s students engage the armored mechs in combat shook them deeply. These students, once ordinary humans, had gained unimaginable supernatural powers after mastering divine arts. Facing fifty armored mechs, not only did they not falter, but they maintained the initiative throughout the battle.

The contest between divine arts and technology—divine arts proved even more formidable. This scene completely overturned the five Earthlings’ understanding of power.

Earth possessed many weapons far stronger than mechs, but at this moment, not even a shred of comfort could be found for Yao Yuan.

Before Shen Xing, the High Priest of the Star Dome Sect, who had yet to take action, all these seemed pale and powerless.

This legendary figure was said to be capable of destroying planets single-handedly, even creating black holes—the universe’s most terrifying and mysterious bodies.

His power far exceeded anything Earthlings could imagine.

And against such an opponent, who knew Earth inside and out, it seemed their defeat was inevitable.

Despair began to seep into their hearts.

Their sole wish now was that Earth’s main fleet would not rashly step into this trap.

They hoped Earth’s main fleet could keep away from this star-filled danger zone, escaping the hunter’s net that had already been cast.

Shen Xing’s existence was now even more terrifying to them than the Dier civilization they had previously discovered.

His threats could be acted upon at any moment.

As they were mired in worry, the thunderous crash of another mech falling echoed from the sky.

Two more mechs, struck by divine arts, lost their fighting power and fell to the distant earth like meteors.

The number of armored mechs in the sky was dwindling. The once impenetrable web of firepower could no longer effectively suppress Shen Xing’s six students.

Lu Hongfeng’s eyes now showed traces of bloodshot—each pilot in every downed mech was a compatriot, and the mechs themselves were precious assets to the vanguard fleet.

In the vast cosmos, no resources could be replenished instantly; any loss would be permanent.

Seeing Lu Hongfeng’s distress, his adjutant, Xu Jing, spoke heavily, “Major General Lu Hongfeng, the battle is beyond our control. We should consider retreating, report Professor Yao Yuan’s situation to Commander Wei, and seek a better solution.”

Lu Hongfeng clenched his fists, wrestling with his inner turmoil.

They, who prided themselves on advanced technology, had been defeated by those they considered a lesser civilization—besting them with mysterious divine arts.

Once, Lu Hongfeng had viewed Tiansky Star with lofty arrogance, but now, his pride had suffered an unprecedented blow.

He longed to continue fighting, to turn the tide, yet reason told him that victory was nearly impossible, and the risk of total annihilation was dangerously close.

After a fierce internal struggle, Lu Hongfeng finally made a difficult decision.

His voice was tinged with unwillingness as he issued orders to the armored mech pilots, “Retreat! Immediate retreat! Return to the ships!”

At once, the command spread—the armored mechs in the sky began withdrawing from the battlefield, their energy cannons now silent, engines igniting for the return.

“Regroup! Provide fire support, withdraw in order!”

The mech squadron commander relayed the order to all pilots. Now, those pilots who already felt a growing fear of Tiansky Star began to retreat swiftly.

Lin Luan sensed the change in the mechs and informed everyone through Ye Wu’s divine arts.

“We can’t let them escape!”

Ye Wu’s voice echoed in everyone’s mind. The six quickly adjusted their stance and began to pursue the routed enemy.

They intensified their assault while evading enemy fire.

Though another mech was lost during the retreat, the remainder managed to break through the atmosphere and escape into space.

Even though the six’s divine arts had improved greatly since first acquiring them, they still could not move freely in outer space, and thus halted their pursuit at high altitude.

The remaining twenty-something mechs, battered and weary, fled back to the vanguard ships in disgrace.

Even those mechs that made it back to the ships were badly damaged, their shells scarred by battle.

Lu Hongfeng watched this scene with deep anguish.

In this battle, they had lost more than half of their armored mechs, along with an equal number of elite warriors and pilots.

This conflict with Tiansky Star ended in their defeat.

The pilots emerged from their mechs, faces drawn with disappointment, their former vigor vanished.

Lu Hongfeng offered words of comfort, then composed himself.

Many scientists and fighters in the vanguard fleet had been born aboard the ships after leaving Earth—the purpose of this operation was to give them experience.

Though they had failed, they had now thoroughly probed all of Tiansky Star’s combat power.

On Tiansky Star, only the High Priest and his six students possessed such power. If Earth civilization’s main fleet arrived, there might still be hope for a decisive battle.

Earth civilization’s main fleet was the culmination of the brightest forces of their civilization.

The power of a civilization must surpass that of individuals.

…

Beyond the skyline of Star Dome City

The six returned like triumphant gods of war, bringing with them an aura of invincibility.

Yao Yuan and his four companions watched their figures, faces filled with deep helplessness and despair—a calm acceptance of fate.

They were among the few Earthlings who had foreseen the outcome of this battle, and reality had unfolded as harshly and mercilessly as they had anticipated.

Zhang Yu’s voice trembled as he asked Yao Yuan, “Professor Yao, what should we do now? How can we contact our people?”

All five understood that Shen Xing dared reveal his plans before them because he was absolutely confident, unafraid of any information being leaked.

Professor Yao Yuan shook his head in resignation, a bitter smile on his face.

“I don’t know either. Since Shen Xing dared to tell us his plan, it means he has already made preparations.”

“All we can do now is pray in silence, hoping our main fleet won’t rashly approach Tiansky Star.”

“Otherwise…”

“We Earthlings, having endured untold hardship to escape the tiger’s jaws, now find ourselves in an even more dangerous wolf’s den.”