Skyfire Avenue

“No!” Lan Jue was firm. “If your family’s situation is as complicated as you say then all the more reason not to let you go. Your Poseidon-class bastion is an integral part of the assault, and if for whatever reason it doesn’t join the fight we’ll have no chance against the enemy.”

Hua Li understood, and hearing his friend speak this way he knew he wasn’t going to come along. He could only display his dissatisfaction with a sigh. “Fine. But you all have to be careful, take every precaution. There will be many opportunities while scouting so don’t put yourself in danger needlessly.”

Lan Jue chuckled at his friend. “It’s fine, Qianlin will be with me. I’ll be much more careful with her than I would be just by myself. I’ll take care.”

When he heard her name, Hua Li paused. “She’s recovered?”

“Soon,” Lan Jue replied. “We believe she’ll return to normal once she breaks through. She is my first responsibility, so you can be sure I won’t do anything to jeopardize that.”

Hua Li nodded. “If I’m not coming with you then I’ll head back.”

Lan Jue was surprised. “Why the rush? I’m not going anywhere for three days. Now that you’re here you should stay, we’ll talk a while. We can’t drink, but we can chat over a pot of tea or something. Come on.” He pulled Hua Li down the hallway.

ζ

Now that the two bastions had joined up, they headed toward Europa together. They maintained some distance from each other, but were surrounded by their combined entourage. Although their total power didn’t match up to what it was during the first alien encounter, their number of support vessels was catching up.

For the time being they weren’t preparing a frontal assault. They needed to confirm the situation before any decisions could be made. They also needed to wait for Tyrannosaurus to show up.

The Northern bastions took pains to keep their path a secret. Kang Hui would use a special encryption method to keep Lan Qing in the know, but most of the time they maintained radio silence. They took every precaution to make sure the aliens did know they were coming, otherwise they risked an ambush.

Middle Heaven and Poseidon, meanwhile, were less concerned. Together their defensive capabilities were significant. With them fleets and two bastions they could immediately fall into formation and mount a stiff response to anything they came their way. The planets would have a hard time attacking them straight on.

Besides, according to current estimations the aliens were more concerned with gathering DNA than dealing with human military. They wouldn’t want to waste their energy. No, best was occupying Europa and its surrounding planets to devour life essence, and use the DNA for their evolution.

Hua Li stayed on Middle Heaven for a day, speaking at length with Lan Jue about all manner of things. By the end he spoke for a little while with Lan Qing before eventually returning to his own ship.

Although he didn’t speak highly of Mo Xiao, he respected her deeply. The practical control of the family’s bastion was under her command, and she was the mother of his child. He had to treat her well.

“A-Jue, we’re about three days out from Europa. We should be joining up with Tyrannosaurus soon. You should begin your scouting mission now, so that once our forces are gathered we can make our move.” Lan Qing said.

Lan Jue nodded. “We’re ready to go. Mom and the Wine Master will go with me, and well as the Driver and Pharmacist. Counting me and Qianlin we aren’t a big group, but it should be enough. Xiaosu will stay here to look after Star Division. Mika, Lin Guoguo and Xiuxiu will come with me. They’ll fly the ship and be responsible for alien detection.”

“Safety first,” Lan Qing reminded him. “We cannot lose this fight. Nor can we afford heavy losses. Do you understand?”

Lan Jue nodded. “I understand. Father said he’s coming as well, but I’ll try and make sure the old man doesn’t exert himself.”

For the last few days Jue Di had also sequestered himself away in meditation. The powerful vital crystal they’d acquired from the progenitor had had a significant effect on him. He could use it in place of his own life force to employ the power of his martial art, if needed.

Lan Qing nodded. “Then make it quick. The faster you leave the sooner you get back.”

“Yeah.” Lan Jue got it – this mission was fundamentally important to the mission. It was the foundation of their whole plan.

Three hours later Zeus-1 quietly slipped out of Middle Heaven’s hangar bay. It’s communications equipment and lights were shut off, and like a shard of shadow they pushed off into deep space.

For this mission they wouldn’t be able to send any information back, they would have to deliver it themselves. They couldn’t take the risk of the planets finding out.

Europa. Lan Jue had been there many time, but never under circumstances like these. It wasn’t only the West’s capital, but the location of both the Pontiff’s and Satan’s citadels. By now it was under alien control.

No one knew the condition of the two Western Paragons. Reports stated that few of the Pontiff’s Citadel’s upper echelons survived. It’d been practically wiped out. Most of the Dark Citadel’s leadership had been protected, but their hive of heathens was mostly empty. They had taken a serious blow as well!

Hades no longer had to fret over fighting with the King of Demons for control of the Dark Citadel. The Dark Citadel was no more!

Lan Jue couldn’t help but feel a tinge of disappointment at that news. The tides of time were inconsistent, and changed the landscape in its passage. A lot of the universe seemed different now.

“Boss, we’re on course.” Mika’s voice called to him.

Mika was responsible for the controls and Xiuxiu kept an eye on their shields and weapon systems. As always, Lin Guoguo busies herself making their ship invisible to enemy forces. Ke’er had remained behind with Su Xiaosu to look after the Division.

“Alright, full speed ahead.” He replied.

Mika pushed down on the gear and Zeus-1 shot forward. Of everyone on board, no one was perhaps more conflicted than Mika. No matter what happened there, Europa was where she’d grown up. She was a Westerner, and though felt no affiliation to it anymore it was still her native land!

Satan was nowhere to be found. The news said he’d fled, but no one had been able to get in contact with him. That made things very uncertain.

Ever since conflict with the aliens broke out Mika had felt the enmity she held for her father decrease. She’d eased so much, in fact, that she’d saved his life with that message from Monteux. She hoped he lived, she repeated it again and again in her head. No matter what he was her father.

Xiuxiu turned back to look at Lan Jue from time to time. But every time she did and her eyes feel upon the beautiful woman by his side, her face fell just a little. For now Qianlin was not merged into Lan Jue’s body. She stood beside him on the bridge.

She was dressed in a flowing white dress, the one that was Lan Jue’s favorite. It was pure, simple, elegant. There were no flashy ornaments or designs. It allowed the ethereal beauty of the woman speak for itself.

The spirit in her eyes was still lost, but her face wasn’t as stiff as it had been. Occasionally her eyes would flit to Lan Jue, or sometimes her expression would change like she was thinking of something. It gave Lan Jue hope that she would recover soon.

It was his greatest hope.

If it wasn’t for this mission and the fight that followed, Lan Jue would have broken through already. He desperately wanted her back. Xuanyuan Shishi had told him her chances of a full return of faculties was very good.

Jue Di and Luo Xianni kept to themselves, cultivating. They wouldn’t need their help until the final moments. The Wine Master, Pharmacist and Driver were on the bridge with Lan Jue.

The Wine Master was chosen for his teleportation abilities, of course. The Driver was a long-range fighter, and the Pharmacist was their strongest. With Lan Jue, Qianlin, and their Harmonious swords, the team was well-rounded. If they weren’t strong enough by themselves than Lan Jue’s father and mother would intervene. No scouting party in the history of humanity came even close to what they were capable of.

Zeus-1 raced ahead at intense speeds. It had undergone maintenance after its near-miss with the explosion of Monteux. It was a particularly good ship to conduct energy, but having so many Paragons flood it with their Domain burnt out some of its components.

The Wine Master stood at Lan Jue’s other side. He spoke, voice low. “No matter what, we need to be quiet and cautious. Don’t rush ahead.”

“Yeah.” Lan Jue slowly nodded. He knew what the Wine Master was getting at. The aliens had already taken some of the planets, and just recently. The scenes they would pass would likely be heart-wrenching. The Wine Master was telling him to steel his heart. They had to proceed calmly.

Their main force would arrive in Europa in three days. They would reach the outlying planets in two. In a day and a half the farthest Western planet came into view outside Zeus-1’s windows.