1269 - 1280

Chapter 1269 Who Is It?

Ling Lan, Li Lanfeng, Luo Lang, and Xie Yi split into two teams and flew as quickly as they could towards the Destruction Devil. They could feel the frighteningly powerful force getting closer to them. They felt as though they were going to be swallowed by it.

Little Seven was able to sense the danger of the approaching force even without Little Four's reminder. He controlled the starship and moved away from the force as fast as he could. A streak of light formed in the air.

Everyone was racing with death. Tian Fang used to be fearless but his forehead was drenched with cold sweat now.

The wings behind Ling Xiao turned into twelve blood-red ribbons. From afar, they looked like the flaming tails of a phoenix. Half of the universe lit up because of it.

On Monarch Fury's side, he was enveloped by a sea of waves.

A huge catastrophic battle was impending. Once the two god-class operators clashed, everything in this part of the universe would be crushed.

The other three god-class operators had turned pale too. They struggled furiously as they tried to break free from the pressure of Ling Xiao's profound god-class. They wanted to escape this planetary sector which was going to turn into hell soon.

In a faraway place, Supreme Dragon, who was on his way back to Planet Dragon, stopped his mecha abruptly. He felt something. His expression changed. "Profound god state… who is it?"

As someone who reached profound god-class, Supreme Dragon was familiar with this energy. It came from millions of light-years away but he still felt two different profound god-state energies clashing.

He knew Monarch Fury owned one of those energies, but who was the person he was fighting against?

'Is it… Ling Xiao?' Supreme Dragon thought of this possibility. His face turned pale. If his guess was correct, both the First Marshal and his decision was horribly wrong. A god-class operator who had reached the profound god-class was invaluable. He was worth even more than Twilight or the Aran Alliance.

Only someone who had reached the top of the universe knew the importance of a profound god-class mecha master to a nation. A profound god-class mecha operator was the symbol of an empire, a nation could dominate other nations.

When he achieved the profound god-class in the past, the Federation became the king of all nations. After some time, Monarch Fury achieved it too. Hence, Caesar became the only country that was on par with the Federation.

As his strength deteriorated, the Federation's status dropped too. Caesar started to become more prominent in the universal stage. The capabilities of a profound god-class mecha master were directly linked to the international status of his nation. If Ling Xiao managed to achieve profound god-class, the Federation could take back its rightful throne from Caesar again.

Another reason why Supreme Dragon felt extremely distraught was because of Ling Xiao's young age. If he managed to enter the profound god state at such a young age, the Federation would be able to sit on the throne for years to come. In the next thousand years, no other nations would be able to affect the Federation's status, not even Caesar.

"No. I must go there." Supreme Dragon couldn't let a profound god-class mecha master die.

His mecha blinked and disappeared on the spot.

Mountain King of the South, who was stationed at the center of the Federation's planetary sector, felt the clash of profound god-state energy. He frowned. "Did Supreme Dragon go and help?"

Mountain King of the South was only a half step away from the profound god-class.

"I need to enter the profound god-class as soon as possible. If not, the Federation will be in danger." Mountain King of the South didn't forget what Supreme Dragon told him many years ago. Based on his current strength, he wouldn't be Monarch Fury's match even if he activated his half-baked profound god state. At most, he could only injure Monarch Fury at the expense of his life. He could at most buy Huaxia another thirty years. If that energy really came from Supreme Dragon, he must be fighting with Monarch Fury. Supreme Dragon was in danger.

Master of the East and King Muqi also felt the fluctuations in space. The two of them were flabbergasted. Their attacks got more vicious.

"Ling Xiao, looks like your profound god state is not complete." Monarch Fury looked at twelve blood-red ribbons and sneered.

Ling Xiao's profound god state seemed frightening but as someone experienced, he could see the flaws in Ling Xiao's state.

"It's enough to fight with you," Ling Xiao replied calmly.

Ling Xiao seemed composed but he was actually using all his willpower to control the energy of his profound god state. He wanted to give his daughter more time to escape so he gladly bought some more time by replying to Monarch Fury. If his profound god state energy really went out of control, as a newbie who activated this state for the first time, he really didn't know what would happen.

"In that case, let's finish this in one attack." Monarch Fury wasn't a stupid person. When he noticed that Ling Xiao didn't have any intention of attacking, he had guessed his intention.The moment he finished speaking, Monarch Fury rushed towards Ling Xiao. From afar, it looked as though the entire blue sea was falling on Ling Xiao.

"Come!" Ling Xiao sighed under his breath. A red phoenix flew out of the sea of flames and charged towards the vast blue sea ferociously.

Would the endless sea extinguish the flame or would the raging flames overwhelm the sea? No one knew the result before the match. Everyone around the battlefield was dumbstruck by the abnormal phenomenon they saw.

The 23rd division, Zaoyi Army, and the Hejia Army slowed their attacks in unplanned unison. They slowly looked at the direction of the battle. They were at the edge of the battlefield but they could still feel the frightening force produced from the collision. This was a force that could destroy them.

Compared to them, Ling Lan and her friends, as well as the 7th Bugle Call, were nearer to the location of the battle.

"Run, run, run! Little Seven, run!" Tian Fang couldn't control his fear. If they couldn't run away before this force reached them, all of them would die.

The three god-class mecha masters used all their own god-class energy to break free from the pressure binding their bodies. They were finally able to move.

Ling Xiao had all his attention on Monarch Fury so he didn't have the energy to care about the three of them.

Chapter 1270 Breaking a Promise

The starship's engines all began to roar, overclocking them to their max capabilities, further damaging the integrity of the engines. Overclocking the engine could only be continued for three minutes. If it went past three minutes, the engines would explode in a fiery burst. However, at that moment, Little Seven couldn't care less about all that. That was because overclocking them was the only way the Destruction Devil could reach the theoretical speed.

Not only were the engines overclocked, he also began tossing out parts from Destruction Devil that could be broken off as these parts were weighing Destruction Devil down.

Parts of the main hull of the Destruction Devil began to be broken off one by one. As they were doing so, Destruction Devil's speed rose higher and higher.

However, the main problem of doing so was that Ling Lan and her comrades were not on board.

As the speed of the Destruction Devils reached a point where even an imperial mecha could not catch up, Ling Lan and her comrades could see the Destruction Devil inching further and further away from them. If they weren't able to catch up to Destruction Devil in a short time and hold onto it, letting it take them away, they wouldn't be able to escape the clashing profound god state's area of effect just from the speed of their mechas.

"Overclock." Ling Lan made a decision without hesitation.

The engines of their four mechas roared. Ling Lan and Li Lanfeng tailed behind the Destruction Devil's right side, while Xie Yi and Luo Lang tailed behind the left side. There wasn't enough time for them to land one by one. They only had time to grab onto the handles on the tail Destruction Devil and pull themselves on board

There was no doubt that this was a race against the grim reaper. If they failed, they would die. If they succeed, they would have a slim hope of surviving. Next, they would have to see whether Destruction Devil's speed could take them away from the area of effect of the clashing profound god state. If they couldn't, then they would still die.

"Trying to run?" Lord Yuangu, who had just gotten out of the restriction placed on him by Ling Xiao's profound god state, saw Ling Lan trying to get close to the Destruction Devil. When he saw Ling Lan putting her hand out to try to grab the Destruction Devil's tail, he remembered the time when he almost died by Ling Xiao's hands. He also remembered how Lord Jindao and god-class operator from Planet Zuojing also died by Ling Xiao's hands. The thought of vengeance rushed up his head. He immediately raised his giant sword and rushed towards Ling Lan. He wanted to kill Ling Lan to seek his vengeance.

"How dare you!" After Ling Xiao shouted angrily, a blanket of red flame moved forwards and completely devoured Lord Yuangu.

"Argh!" Lord Yuangu screamed in agony as he got completely crushed by the profound god state's energy.

At the same time, (Belief] was sent flying backwards by a rogue beam. Ling Xiao spat out a mouthful of blood. Monarch Fury took advantage of the moment he got distracted with Lord Yuangu and severely injured him.

"Ling Xiao, you still have time to mind about others? You really are looking down on me," Monarch Fury said proudly.

"No one can hurt my child while I'm here. No one," Ling Xiao smiled coldly with blood dripping down from the corner of his lips.

After seeing Lord Yuangu die by Ling Xiao's hands without having a chance to struggle, the other god-class operator from Twilight and the disguised gold-class operator turned their tails and fled without hesitation.

"Heh. Neither you or your child will be able to escape." Monarch Fury suddenly turned his mecha around and brought about a large blue wave towards Ling Lan and the 7th Bugle Call.

"Monarch Fury!" Ling Xiao shouted angrily. A reddened sky in the shape of a phoenix ruthlessly rushed towards the blue tidal wave.

Bang!

The energies of two profound god states crashed into each other once again. Even though they weren't hit by it, the immense god state energy still made them spat out blood uncontrollably.

The weaker soldiers on the 7th Bugle Call instantly fell unconscious. Even those who were stronger, like Major General Tian Fang, were injured by the wave. This was still the result even under the effect of the 7th Bugle Call's barrier against tremors.

nors.

The tremors caused the speeds of Ling Lan and her comrades' mechas to decrease. They were originally getting closer to the Destruction Devil, but now the distance was further again.

Li Lanfeng felt the terrifying energy coming from behind him that could devour them all. He looked towards Ling Lan, who was beside him, and closed his eyes tightly. Then, he quickly opened them with a solemn gaze.

He moved his mecha's arms and pushed Ling Lan's mecha forward.

Ling Lan's mecha's speed received a huge spike by this push.

Ling Lan's mecha's right arm stretched forward and grabbed onto Destruction Devil's tail's handle. She turned around towards Li Lanfeng and shouted angrily, "Dumbass, grab my hand!"

Li Lanfeng was originally following Ling Lan closely. However, because of that push, his speed slowed down once again. He was now getting further and further away from the Destruction Devil. The chance of him catching up to the Destruction Devil was almost nil now.

Ling Lan extended her left arm with all her effort in hopes to grab a hold of Li Lanfeng. She wasn't going to abandon her friends, even if it was the end of the world.

Li Lanfeng's engine roared once again. He reached out with his right hand, trying his best to grab onto Ling Lan's hand.

Even though they were such a short distance apart, the short distance was as though they were worlds apart. Overcoming a short distance was a difficult feat.

"Li Lanfeng, why can't you grab my hand when you are so close? Don't make me look down on you!" Ling Lan shouted angrily as she saw the blue and red energy wave approaching Li Lanfeng

"Argh!" Li Lanfeng shouted angrily. He definitely wouldn't allow Rabbit to look down on him!

At first, Li Lanfeng was afraid to completely let out his spiritual power as he didn't know what would be the end result of doing so, but now he couldn't care less about the consequences. After completely letting all of his spiritual power pour out, the mixture of piloting an imperial mecha and his spiritual power allowed the speed of the mecha to increase.

The two mecha's hands were slowly getting closer.

"Li Lanfeng!"

"Ling Lan!"

While the two of them were screaming at the top of their lungs, their hands finally succeeded in grabbing onto one another.

Ling Lan pulled Li Lanfeng in and the two of them looked towards the red and blue mixture of space. There, Ling Lan's father, Ling Xiao, was still fighting

Finally, the red phoenix energy was finally pushed away by the blue waves."Ahaha… Ling Xiao, this is all you're capable of, it seems. Just let me send you off to your grave. Don't worry. I will send your son to see you soon." Monarch Fury laughed maniacally. Ling Xiao's incomplete god state allowed Monarch Fury to be on the advantage. This feeling of successfully taking out a newly advanced god state individual excited Monarch Fury greatly.

Ling Xiao spat out a mouthful of blood with a pale expression on his face. Then he began to laugh coldly. He was indeed weaker than his opponent. It wasn't a difference in their god states, but rather because the god state he controlled was incomplete. However, even so, no one could harm his child in his presence.

"I, Ling Xiao, only live for two women in my lifetime. One is my wife Lan Luofeng and the other is my little princess, Ling Lan. If you want to hurt either one of them, you must step over my cold dead body first," Ling Xiao said coldly.

What merits? What fame? What wealth? What power? Those were all things he wanted to provide to the two women in his life to build a safe haven for them. If the people he wanted to protect were to leave this world, his life would have no meaning.

Ling Xiao was never a hero. He only hoped that he could become a hero in the eyes of the two women he loved.

"Lan'er, remember everything I taught you," Ling Xiao's voice suddenly echoed in Ling Lan's mind.

"Dad!" Ling Lan's heart sank.

"Sorry, I don't think I can keep my promise with you, my little princess. Don't return to the Federation. Go back when you're strong." Ling Xiao still couldn't let go of Ling Lan. Even at death's door, he still didn't forget to tell his daughter how to stay safe.

Chapter 1271 Ling Xiao's Death!

"No! Dad, you promised me! You promised me!" Ling Lan screamed angrily. She loosened her grip on the handle and was about to jump out of the Destruction Devil out of desperation.

"Ling Lan!" Li Lanfeng hurriedly grabbed onto Ling Lan. He turned Ling Lan around to face him and shouted loudly at her face, "Calm down!"

"Lan'er, learn from this battle between Monarch Fury and I. I hope you can one day reach the top and watch over your loved ones from the throne, unlike me…" Ling Xiao turned around and smiled lovingly towards Ling Lan. His eyes filled with endless love.

He almost had everything he wanted in this lifetime. Fame, wealth, power, they all naturally came to him. Soon after indulging in his prime, his brash younger days flew by in a flash. However, all that changed after he met Lan Luofeng. Meeting her… he finally found purpose in his life, and after having a child, he finally understood the meaning of the word 'responsibility'. During the sixteen years he was trapped in another galaxy, he didn't have any feelings for any other woman. Ling Xiao's immense self-control was indeed because of his love for Lan Luofeng, but part of it was also because of their child. He didn't want his child to be disappointed in him when he came back. He wanted to be a father that his child would be proud of.

After returning and knowing that he had a girl as his child, he was disappointed but rather, he was overjoyed. However, as a girl, who should have been pampered and cared for, Ling Lan grew up enduring difficulties after difficulties, forcing her to be more mature than the children of the same age. She had even helped him protect Lan Luofeng and the Ling family in his stead when it was his job to do so. Other than being joyful, Ling Xiao was also saddened by Ling Lan. His disappearance forced his adorable, beautiful princess, who he should have been protecting, to pretend to be a man who stood at the forefront of everything and protected all of her family and friends behind her.

At that time, Ling Xiao had a burning flame lit in his heart. He wanted to give the child he loved a world where she could roam freely. However, in order to do that, he must stand at a highest peak, not just in skills, but also political power.

It was at that time he began to separate himself from the First Marshal. There would definitely be bloodshed during a power struggle between the two titans, and while doing so, he never planned to tell this to Lan Luofeng or to Ling Lan. They had just endured too much for his absence so he silently endured every problem that came his way. Everytime they asked him how he was doing, he only gave the two women he loved a strong and warm smile.

Originally, he thought he could do it. He thought he could give the women he loved a world like the one in his dreams. However, he could no longer do that now. It wasn't because he lost, but because he decided it to be so. It was just as he had said. Power and status were both built on the foundation if his feelings and emotions were invested. If those factors that he put his feelings and emotions into were to not exist, then what would be the point of him acquiring power and status?

He didn't regret coming all this way to save his daughter. He had already made up his mind to give up his life when he was coming here. He only hoped that his sacrifice was beneficial to his family. He hoped his daughter could safely escape the trap and grow up in a safe environment, slowly growing into the king of the galaxy. That way, no one would be able to hold her down and force her to their bidding. She could then freely live the life she wanted.

"Lan'er, Dad loves you. Goodbye!" Ling Xiao said softly. Then, he turned around and charged towards Monarch Fury, who was attempting to drag the 7th Bugle Call into his profound god state's area of effect.

In the empty void, a gigantic bright and burning phoenix cawed and then ruthlessly crashed into the blue waves.

The red phoenix suddenly began to implode after entering the blue sea. The profound god state energies went out of control. Countless red and blue energies flew out from the explosion and went in all different directions.

"Dad!" Ling Lan shouted with all her might. How could her invincible father, who could never just leave her like that? She couldn't accept it! She couldn't!

At the same time, in her mindscape, Little Four was also in sorrow.

He didn't even get a chance to call him 'Dad' face to face. Dad never hugged him, kissed him or even greeted him. How could Dad just leave him like that?

Little Four didn't want that. He couldn't accept it. He wouldn't accept. He would never accept

it.

Ling Lan, who was in great sorrow, didn't see Little Four's main body suddenly leave her mindscape. He pounced towards the center of the area of the profound god state energies.

"Ling Xiao! You crazy bastard!" shouted Monarch Fury in agony. He didn't expect Ling Xiao to self-destruct in the end. Self-destructing would cause mutual destruction and could even destroy this part of the galaxy.

At that moment, on the other side of Destruction Devil, Luo Lang and Xie Yi weren't as lucky as Li Lanfeng and Ling Lan. Their piloting capabilities were clearly weaker than Ling Lan and Li Lanfeng. Even after putting in all of their effort, they still couldn't get on board the Destruction Devil.

The explosion from Ling Xiao's profound god state's self-destruction, along with the two energies from the two profound god states, were moving towards them wildly. With their speed, there were a few seconds before they were to be devoured by the energy wave coming their way.

Xie Yi, who was behind Luo Lang, looked at Luo Lang with a saddened look on his face. He unsheathed his large sword and turned the sword around. He used the flat surface of the sword and ruthlessly smacked Luo Lang's mecha.

This force, in addition to Luo Lang's mecha initial high speeds, pushed Luo Lang's mecha smash towards the Destruction Devil's tail area like a beam of light.

Luo Lang was instantly injured from the large shockwave caused by this unexpected shove.

Bang! Luo Lang's mecha smashed into the Destruction Devil's tail area. Luo Lang reacted quickly and grabbed the side with one hand. He swallowed the blood in his mouth and looked at Xie Yi, who slowed down even more because of that push. He screamed in sorrow, "Xie Yi!"

Xie Yi knew he couldn't get out alive. He turned his mecha around and activated his large beam shield. He stood in front of Luo Lang, protecting Luo Lang along with the Destruction Devil that was helping Luo Lang escape.

"Luo Lang, take my hope and continue to live for me!" Xie Yi's joyful and satisfied smiling face appeared on Luo Lang's screen.

"Xie Yi! Come back! Come back!" shouted Luo Lang angrily. Two teardrops fell out from his eyes uncontrollably. How could a friend who was always by his side just leave like that? Could he refuse? He would rather fight to the death side by side than to live by himself.

"Did I ever say I like you?" Xie Yi was smiling, but tears were constantly falling from his eyes. If it was possible, he wanted to stay together with the person he loved until the end of his life. He originally didn't want to tell Luo Lang about his true feelings. However, now, he wanted to be a little selfish. He only wanted to have a tiny special place in Luo Lang's heart.

"I don't want to hear it. If you want to tell me, survive and tell me then…" Luo Lang shook his head furiously. At that moment, he didn't want to listen to anyone. He only wanted Xie Yi to live.

"Goodbye, my love!" Xie Yi cut off the connection between the two mechas. He didn't want Luo Lang to see him get torn to pieces. Perhaps Luo Lang thinking he just disappeared would be better for him.

The red and blue profound god state energies ruthlessly crashed onto Xie Yi's large beam shield.

"Hold! If you can hold one more second, then do it," Xie Yi shouted angrily.

"Let's do this together." A shadow suddenly appeared beside Xie Yi.

"Xie'Er!" Xie Yi muttered apologetically, "I'm sorry." His decision also force Xie'Er to follow him to death's road.

Chapter 1272 Death of Xie Yi!

"What are you saying? We are originally one person. Born together and die together," Xie'Er said plainly. Having been in the gray world for so long, he wasn't afraid when facing Death right in the face.

"Xie'Er, thank you." As Xie Yi finished speaking, his and Xie'Er's shadow merged into one. The originally splitted personalities, perfectly combined together in their final moments.

Little Seven cried out in agony as he saw the immense energy that was about to devour him. He finally erupted and tapped into the unprecedented power of the Destruction Devil. All of Destruction Devil's engines were fired up with sparks flying everywhere, increasing its speed once again. This speed had already gone past the theoretical speed that Destruction Devil could reach. If the inventor of Destruction Devil knew about this, they would definitely not believe it to be true. Of course, doing this required an intelligent entity like Little Seven to perfect the system and to have him take out every factor that could affect its speed.

Little Seven didn't know how long Destruction Devil's engines could hold. However, he couldn't care less about that at that moment. He just had to get out of this dire situation as quickly as possible.

The Destruction Devil flew forwards even faster. All of the soldiers on the 7th Bugle Call saw a swarm of blue and red hues moving towards them. However, contrary to their expectations, the swarm of hues suddenly splitted apart, miraculously avoiding them.

Those who were on the 7th Bugle Call didn't know what was happening, but Luo Lang, who was holding on to the Destruction Devil's tail area, saw it very clearly. The reason the profound god state energies didn't devour the Destruction Devil was because Xie Yi was blocking that energy with his life.

Luo Lang's tears didn't stop coming out of his eyes. However, the more he cried, the clearer he could see. Xie Yi stood there firmly, without backing even one step. He then saw the mecha's head slowly turning towards him as if it was smiling at him.

"Xie Yi!" Luo Lang didn't understand. He didn't understand Xie Yi's feelings. He would also be willing to die for his friends, but he would do it out of the friendship between them, not affection. He didn't understand the feelings of Xie Yi as he smiled towards him and died for him. However, the Xie Yi he saw made his heart ache.

Finally, Luo Lang watched as Xie Yi got completely devoured by the blue and red profound god state energies, being completely wiped away from the face of existence.

Without anything blocking it, the profound god state energies began to wildly rush towards Destruction Devil. However, the ten seconds of time Xie Yi bought was enough for the Destruction Devil to escape the affected area.

Ling Lan, who still hadn't accepted the death of her father, suddenly felt a strong hit in her spiritual world. She spat out a mouthful of blood, her eyes then rolled back as she completely fell unconscious.

Without anyone piloting the mecha, the mecha's arm loosened its grip on the handle on the Destruction Devil. The entire mecha began to lean towards the void.

"Ling Lan!" Li Lanfeng reacted quickly and grabbed onto Ling Lan's mecha's arm. He pulled the mecha in and locked it in his arms.

The weight of the two mechas was now being supported by one of Li Lanfeng's mecha's arms. The terrifying pulling force created by Destruction Devil's speed was testing Li Lanfeng to his limits.

Li Lanfeng roared out angrily. His spiritual power increased greatly once again, but he spat out a mouthful of blood while doing so. Li Lanfeng then spun around and pinned Ling Lan's mecha onto the Destruction Devil. His mecha was now on top of Ling Lan's mecha as he locked Ling Lan's mecha into his arms.

In reality, Li Lanfeng had already sustained heavy injuries after forcibly increasing his spiritual power many times. In such trying times, he was finally grateful that he had a body that had been harmed by his spiritual power from when he was young. It gave him the endurance to endure the immense pain. That way, he was able to protect the person he wanted to protect.

After racing against death, the Destruction Devil finally got away from death's door right as the blue and red profound god state energies successfully combined.

On the other side, Supreme Dragon, who had just arrived, looked at the spreading blue and red energies spreading through it. His expression instantly became depressed. "I'm too late."

Even with his immense strength, he also couldn't enter the area where the two energies were at each other's throats. He didn't know who would be the one to survive this profound god state battle. Or perhaps it was a mutual destruction?

With neither of them being able to continue to be in their profound god states, the energies began to dissipate. Suddenly, a large mecha was revealed beneath the red and blue hue. It was the disguised god-class mecha. However, because of the savage energies of the profound god states, the disguised parts were mostly destroyed, showing its real form.

"Ha ha, Ling Xiao. If I want you to die, you will die. Even if you're strong and entered into the profound god-class. What does that matter?" He closed his eyes and sunk into the feeling of exhilaration. He smiled joyfully. "It's a success! As expected, if the main body dies, I will be able to take their innate talent. It could even be done to Ling Xiao. The innate talent, Duplication. The faed heaven-defying talent is finally mine. Ha ha. As long as I can control it, who can still face me in this world? Ling Xiao, all that you have, the 23rd Division, the seat of marshal, are all mine."

Suddenly, he noticed a inquisitize gaze and he quickly loosened the rest of his disguise, showing his mecha's real form.

In the next second, Supreme Dragon appeared before him.

"Supreme Dragon, we are both too late," said that god-class operator regretfully.

"Oh? Ren Feiyu, it's you," said Supreme Dragon in surprise. Although he knew Ren Feiyu was a god-class operator, he still didn't expect Ren Feiyu to actually involve himself in the war against the Twilight Empire.

"After hearing that General Ling Xiao was in trouble, I hurriedly came to aid him. I didn't think I would get here after the fact." Ren Feiyu's voice had an apologetic tone as if he was regretting arriving too late.

"It wouldn't matter even if you got here on time. The battle between profound god-class operators isn't something you can participate in." Supreme Dragon sighed regretfully. If he had known that Ling Xiao had entered the profound god-class earlier, perhaps he would not have sent him to be the commander-in-chief for the war against the Twilight Empire. However, one mistake after another led to the death of Ling Xiao, costing the Federation a chance to rise up to be an empire.

"If you came here, will the Flying Dragon Special Forces be alright without you protecting it?" Supreme Dragon remembered the Flying Dragon Special Forces also had their own special mission.

"I already made arrangements. Those children in the Flying Dragon Special Forces are all good children. They will finish the mission with perfection," Ren Feiyu said proudly. He couldn't be compared to Ling Xiao in other aspects, but in terms of nurturing the future generation, he was definitely better at it than Ling Xiao. He quietly chose to ignore Ling Lan's existence.

There was no doubt that the disguised god-class operator was the highest ranking officer of the Flying Dragon Special Forces, Ren Feiyu. He possessed the power to overlook the marshals. It was just that no one knew he was a god-class operator. Moreover, he wasn't part of the 12 god-class operators who were known publicly.

"Did you find anything when you went in?" Supreme Dragon was still most worried about Ling Xiao. "Did Ling Xiao not leave anything?" A profound god-class individual would have a chance to survive if they were to leave a part of themselves in this world.

"No, I didn't find anything," Ren Feiyu closed his eyes and replied plainly.

Chapter 1273 Activate, Duplication Talent!

No one could see the jealous and hateful look in Ren Feiyu's eyes. It was just like before when the First Marshal only cared about Ling Xiao. The previous chief of the Flying Dragon Special Forces also saw Ling Xiao as the next in line to take his position. In the end, Ling Xiao didn't want it, so the chief gave it to Ren Feiyu instead.

Everyone only had Ling Xiao in their eyes. Even if he performed well, even if they were praising him, these people would still add in the last few words at the end of their sentence, 'Of course, it's not comparable to Ling Xiao's records.

He didn't know when it started, but Ling Xiao became someone he mentally couldn't surpass. If Ling Xiao was alive, he would feel suffocated every single day. 20 years ago, he finally managed to plot against Ling Xiao and 'killed' him. During those years, he was able to sleep at peace and climb to the position he wanted. However, Ling Xiao actually returned alive, and everyone's gaze fell upon him once again. The First Marshal, who was planning on developing Ren Feiyu to be the next marshal, gazed upon Ling Xiao favorably again. If it wasn't for the fact that he had done so much for the First Marshal, perhaps he would have been abandoned long ago.

Thus, Ling Xiao must die. This time, however, he was definitely going to see it for himself. In the end, he got what he wanted.

The news of Monarch Fury and Ling Xiao dying of mutual destruction was instantly known throughout the entire galaxy. Caesar was shocked. Twilight was terrified. The Federation was in sorrow. Many clans didn't even dare to think about going against military orders and began moving out to attack Twilight. In a short amount of time, all the borders of the Twilight Empire became battlefields. Caesar, who Twilight put all their hopes in, slowly withdrew back to their own territory after losing Monarch Fury. They didn't dare to make any further moves.

Without a profound god-class individual holding the fort, they must first find a way to resolve the conflict between them and the Federation. It should be known that the Federation still had another profound god-class individual. Even if his strength had deteriorated and that he wouldn't be able to continue to live for many years, as long as he was alive, Caesar must bow their head down and regard themselves as servants to the Federation. They had to wait until that person passed on from this world before restarting their campaign.

Twilight, who was abandoned by Caesar, no longer had any allies to reinforce them. What awaited them was the destruction of their nation. Of course, they weren't the only ones being destroyed. There was also their allied nation, the Aran Alliance. Just one Twilight Empire was not enough to quell the anger of the citizens and soldiers of the Federation. The Aran Alliance, who fought alongside the Twilight Empire, was the best target for letting out their anger.

Many soldiers and citizens actually wanted to start a war with Caesar. However, the three marshals and the military headquarters knew that the Federation only looked strong on the outside. In reality, they were just a paper tiger. The profound god-class individual, Supreme Dragon, could only be used as a deterrence. If he were to actually fight and activate his profound god state, he would probably reach his limit after the war and die. After thinking about all that, the three of them all regretted the arrangements they had made for Ling Xiao. Although Ling Xiao took Monarch Fury down with him, causing a huge blow towards Caesar, a living profound god-state individual was still more useful than a dead one.

It should be known that although Monarch Fury could fight, everyone knew he only had at most 20 to 30 years left to live. After 20 or so years, he would be like Supreme Dragon, who was retired and was basically waiting for Death to come. However, Ling Xiao was different. He was still so young. At least, for the next 150 years, he would be able to stay at his peak. If he preserved himself, it was possible for him to suppress the other nations for 200 years.

100 years was already multiple generations to grow, not to mention 200 years. This amount of time was enough for the Federation to increase both its political and military power, and stand above all nations. As the war progressed, more and more of the Twilight Empire's planets were put under the Federation's control. The victory was within their grasp. The few god-class operators who had participated in the battle all began to return home.

Ren Feiyu also used this chance to return silently. That was because his god-class operator level was not publicized, so he could only mix in with the other god-class operators.

"Chief, you're back." Right as Ren Feiyu returned to his quarters, his deputy had been there waiting for him.

"Wait outside. I need to go to the training room to make sense of something. Notify everyone to not disturb me," ordered Ren Feiyu plainly.

"Yes, Chief," said the deputy respectfully.

Ren Feiyu then went directly to the training room. He carefully closed the door of the room and also turned off the surveillance cameras at the same time. After knowing he was no longer being watched, he breathed a sigh of relief and sat crossed legged on one of the mats.

"Duplication talent. The talent I have always dreamed of. It's finally mine." Ren Feiyu's face was full of excitement. He used so much effort in order to acquire Ling Xiao's innate talent. In the end, he had finally succeeded. However, he almost gave his identity away because of it. If it wasn't for the fact he knew the First Marshal well, he might actually have been caught by that sly old fox.

Ren Feiyu used his spiritual power to softly push on the device in his mindscape.

"Would you like to activate the newly acquired talent?" said a robotic voice.

This thing was something he suddenly acquired when he was just a young boy. He didn't know what it actually was. Back then, he only felt his head hurt after falling unconscious for a few days. He was clueless about what it was until one day, when he accidentally encountered someone who had just died, this device suddenly spoke up and asked whether he would like to record a newly found energy innate talent. He was curious about its function, so he said he needed it. Then, the device asked him whether he would like to activate it. After succumbing to his curiosity, he fell unconscious again. In the end, he was taken to his parents by the police. They all thought he fell unconscious out of fright after seeing a dead person. Only he knew the real reason why he fainted that day. From that day onwards, he acquired his first innate talent. It was a very useless talent. He had already forgotten what it was. It couldn't be helped as he could only develop one innate talent at a time. Those who had two innate talents would never become commoners. Ren Feiyu, of course, wanted to continue to be a commoner in the eyes of the public as in doing so, he would attract less attention and less hatred. Thus, after acquiring a better innate talent, he would erase the previous innate talent, slowly growing stronger as time went

by

Ren Feiyu held back the feeling of euphoria coursing through his vein. He closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down. Although this device was very beneficial for him, it was still painful whenever he activated the innate talent. The pain coming from the activation of the innate talent couldn't be avoided. If he wanted to perfectly use the newly acquired innate talent, his body must be modified to accommodate the innate talent. The pain was truly unbearable, it was as if every inch of your body was slowly peeled away. However, in order to become stronger, Ren Feiyu wasn't afraid of some pain but still, calming himself down would allow him to endure more pain. He didn't want to fall unconscious half way in just like he did in the ast.

Back then he didn't know about the implications of falling consciousness, but after he did some research, he discovered that the results of activating the innate talents while awake was different from when he was unconscious. When he was awake, the quality of innate talent was higher and the innate talent was more likely to revert to its original state. Being unconscious would lower the quality of the innate talent, and at most he could only obtain half of what it originally was.

It was fine for other innate talents, but he couldn't let Ling Xiao's Duplication innate talent go to waste. Something he acquired from years of hard work must be reverted close to 100%.

After feeling he was ready, Ren Feiyu calmly said, "Activate!"

After saying those words, a terrifying yet familiar pain writhed throughout his body. Ren Feiyu couldn't control himself and began to scream out in agony. His entire face was twisted as if he was being possessed.

Chapter 1274 Ling Xiao? Ling Xiao!

After enduring for only a few minutes, Ren Feiyu suddenly had a terrified expression on his face. "What is this?! This isn't the Duplication talent…"

"Ah!" He suddenly cried out in agony. His entire body fell onto the floor, and after a few seconds, he went unconscious.

After four hours, Ren Feiyu slowly opened his eyes and sat up.

A seemingly demonic smirk appeared on his face.

"Ren Feiyu… My things are not for you to take." Ren Feiyu's demonic smirk slowly turned to a mocking expression. "The entire world knows that I have the Duplication talent. How could they know that I am actually a double innate talent individual? I never told anyone about the second innate talent not because I didn't want to tell people, but because I couldn't tell them."

"The Devour innate talent can devour all that exists. That includes your consciousness, Ren Feiyu. Tsk, tsk, tsk, you really are unlucky. You didn't get my Duplication innate talent but instead acquired my Devour innate talent. After plotting against me for so long… Ha! Now devouring your consciousness shall be the price you pay for plotting against me." Ling Xiao let out a devilish smile. "First Marshal, I've said it before. Don��t let me come back alive. Once I come back alive, we will slowly settle all our differences… If you don't want me to be on your side, then I just be the antagonist of this story. The games from now will be interesting. Just you wait and see."

Ling Xiao slowly restrained his demonic smile. His entire expression turned as cold as ice.

Without the Duplication innate talent to balance him out and with the Devour innate talent as his main talent, Ling Xiao's aura was very demonic. Even if he had the face of Ling Xiao, just this demonic aura was enough to make Ling Lan not acknowledge that this person was her warm and kind-hearted father.

Ling Lan slowly awakened. She was still inside her mecha. The mecha's display screen was blocked by a large mecha's body. Ling Lan didn't need to ask any question as she knew it was definitely Li Lanfeng's mecha on top of her. She didn't try and move away as tears slowly dropped from her eyes. She hated crying as she believed it was a sign of weakness. However, now, she couldn't hold back the sadness in her heart. Tears came down her cheeks uncontrollably.

It turns out, back then, it wasn't because she was strong-willed, but rather she just wasn't sad enough. If it was possible, she would rather have her father never return. That way, she wouldn't have had to endure such heartbreaking pain. It was pain that entered directly into the heart. Ling Lan hated herself. If she was just a bit stronger; If she was a god-class operator; A profound god-class operator; Would her father not have given up his life to protect her?

'Caesar, Twilight and the Federation… I won't let any of you go.' Ling Lan screamed out angrily in her mind…

"Ling Lan, don't be sad. The general won't die. He won't die. He's a bird that won't die. He's a phoenix. He will definitely be reborn from the ashes. He will return, just like back then." Slowly, Ling Lan began to hear these words. It was Li Lanfeng

"Ling Lan, don't be sad. The general won't die. He won't die. He's a phoenix. He will definitely be reborn from the ashes. He will return, just like back then." Li Lanfeng continued to repeat the same words over again. His voice had already become hoarse and was somewhat trembling. However, even though his voice was like that, he still continued to repeat those words. He wanted to provide any semblance of comfort to Ling Lan. He wanted Ling Lan to regain her composure and continue to be motivated to live.

At that moment, Li Lanfeng didn't know what to do or say to comfort Ling Lan. He could only repeat those words as those words gave him confidence so he hoped that it would also give Ling Lan confidence too. He knew the importance of General Ling Xiao to Ling Lan. Ling Lan wasn't like him. He was a truly cold, heartless and selfish person, but Ling Lan was someone who put feelings first. Despite Ling Lan behaving coldly and heartlessly, he knew Ling Lan's softer side. He knew Ling Lan's real personality. That personality made him adore Ling Lan. It was because he couldn't have that type of emotion.

"Yes. My father's a bird that won't perish. He's a phoenix…" Ling Lan said as she cried. She didn't believe that the man who loved her so much would be so heartless to leave her like that. She believed that as long as there was a slight possibility, her father would definitely return. That was because his loving wife, Lan Luofeng, and child, Ling Lan, were still alive.

After hearing Ling Lan's reply, Li Lanfeng had a joyful expression on his face. He had been constantly repeating the same words for more than an hour while not hearing a single response from Ling Lan. Only god knew how worried he was. He was afraid Ling Lan couldn't take all of it at once. In addition to Ling Lan's previous injuries… Now that he heard Ling Lan's voice, Li Lanfeng felt alive again.

"That's right. When has the general ever disappointed us. We must believe in him. Ling Lan, you can't disappoint the general." Despite Li Lanfeng not knowing what Ling Xiao told Ling Lan at the very end, he still believed those words could motivate Ling Lan to continue living. That was why he emphasized it in hopes Ling Lan wouldn't forget about what the general had told him. In order for Ling Lan to have the motivation to continue living, Li Lanfeng used all the methods he could think

of.

He didn't care much about whether General Ling Xiao was dead or alive. He only cared about how much Ling Lan would hurt from this incident and if Ling Lan would continue to have the confidence to live.

"I know. I won't disappoint my father," Ling Lan said calmly. No matter what happened to her father, Ling Lan was not someone who depended on her father to live. She no longer wanted to watch the people she loved dearly fight for her or even sacrifice themselves for her. She hoped that could protect the people he loved with her own two hands.

'I was wrong in the past. I will change now and continue to become stronger. I only hope that one day god will give me another chance to protect that person who loves me and who I also love,' thought Ling Lan as tears trickled down her face.

"I will become a king! The king of this world and not let anyone plot against me or the people I love"

It was the first time Ling Lan had such an ambitious thought. After losing someone she cared about dearly, Ling Lan had an epiphany about life. Protecting those she loved couldn't be done just by saying it. She needed to do more. Abilities was one; Followers was another; but there was also political power she now needed to take into account. Little Seven controlled Destruction Devil and led these saddened individuals away from the Twilight Empire, away from the Federation. They went towards a far away place that even he didn't know where they were going.

This was the final command his boss, Little Four, gave him. He couldn't find him anymore. Thus, he believed that he must complete what his Boss had assigned him, even if it meant taking Ling Lan and betraying the Federation.

Chapter 1275 Helpless!

Little Seven finally found a deserted satellite base to dock the Destruction Devil at. Little Seven carefully controlled the 7th Bugle Call and docked onto its port.

Li Lanfeng saw the cargo doors to the main hull slowly opening, so he held onto Ling Lan's mecha and flew into the main part of the ship. On the other side of the tail area of the ship, Luo Lang also flew inside the ship. After finding the mecha hold to dock their mechas, Li Lanfeng crawled out his mecha with a bloody and battered body. Even with such heavy injuries, he didn't tend to his injuries but instead went directly to Ling Lan's mecha.

He opened a latch near Ling Lan's cockpit, revealing a keypad that could manually open the cockpit from the outside. Li Lanfeng carefully keyed in the passcode for the cockpit to open. Stepping backward a few steps, Li Lanfeng saw Ling Lan lying inside there with blood and grime sticking all over her mecha suit. It would be difficult to get her out of mecha suit without injuring her any further.

Having no choice, Li Lanfeng took a deep breath and grabbed a multipurpose knife he kept in his pocket. He concentrated his gaze and slowly cut open the suit inch by inch before carefully pulling Ling Lan out.

This was his first time seeing Ling Lan so weak and fragile. Back when they were on Planet Haijiao, he was commanding the battle in the base so didn't see what Ling Lan was like when she was sent to the medical department. Despite knowing Ling Lan was severely injured and being very worried about Ling Lan, he didn't see it for his own eyes so he didn't feel as much pain as he was feeling right now. If it was possible, he didn't want to see Ling Lan like how she was right now ever again. He liked to see the dominant Ling Lan standing before him, snorting coldly at him and smacking him down with one hit then saying, 'Li Lanfeng, don't make me look down on you…'

That was the version of Ling Lan he loved and wanted to see.

Even with turbulent emotions wrecking them internally, Li Lanfeng and Luo Lang slowly collected themselves as this starship was still unfamiliar territory so they were still not really safe. They quickly took out the medicinal agent they had pre-prepared in their mechas and fed them to Ling Lan.

Right at that moment, a door connecting to the corridor of the ship suddenly opened. Major General Tian Fang was bringing medical personnel to the mecha hold.

"How is Lieutenant General Ling doing?" Tian Fang asked worriedly.

Although General Ling Xiao might have perished, his admiration for both Ling Lan and Ling Xiao had not diminished in the slightest.

In reality, Tian Fang and Luo Yang already had some clues on how General Ling Xiao fell into this trap. If the Federation didn't secretly allow it, Caesar, Twilight and the Aran Alliance wouldn't have been able to send out this many god-class operators to the battlefield at the Twilight Empire. It was clear that this battle was clearly a plot against the general, and the Federation definitely had a hand in it. This undoubtedly hurt the love these soldiers had for their nation. Even if it was just a normal general, they still wouldn't be able to accept it, not to mention the person was the idol of all the soldiers, General Ling Xiao. "It's no surprise, politics are disgusting and sinful." After being disappointed by the Federation, they accepted the fact that Little Seven had taken them away from the Federation. Otherwise, Little Seven would not have piloted the Destruction Devil out of the Federation without any obstruction. The reason why everyone on the 7th Bugle Call calmly accepted it was because Tian Fang and Luo Yang told everyone the reason behind leaving the Federation. Of course, it was also mostly due to the fact that most of the people on the 7th Bugle Call were part of Tian Fang's original crew. This was why Ling Xiao was confident in them. Tian Fang wasn't like other regiment commanders, who would be afraid of their subordinates separating themselves to factions and then losing control of them in the end.

Ling Xiao was confident in his own capabilities and the strict regulations of the 23rd Division. Even if these starship commanders were to take their confidants with them and become factions on their own, they still would function as one during a war and fight bravely against the enemies of the Federation and the 23rd Division.

Ling Xiao's way of doing things, along with the strict yet fair regulations, did indeed make all of the commanders in the 23rd Division loyal and happy at the same time. It was just like Tian Fang's 7th Bugle Call. Once their commander gave an order to fight, they would most definitely rush to the front lines. They wouldn't change their course just to protect themselves.

After hearing Tian Fang's question, Li Lanfeng shook his head depressingly, "Our commander's condition isn't good. He is injured too severely."

"I have already prepared a surgery room for Lieutenant General Ling. I request Major General Li and Senior Colonel Luo to take him there," suggested Tian Fang.

Right as Li Lanfeng and Luo Lang were about to nod in agreement, Ling Lan opened her eyes and said with a soft voice, "Unnecessary. Just give me a quiet room. I will treat my own wounds."

"Commander, your wounds need immediate treatment." The veins on Li Lanfeng's forehead were popping. He held back his anger and spoke softly.

"I know my wounds. I know how to treat myself better." Ling Lan stared at Li Lanfeng with a look of determination. Her gaze told Li Lanfeng to not go against her will.

The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds. In the end, Li Lanfeng gave in and said, "Alright. However, if things get worse, don't blame me for forcing you to get treatment."

"Okay." Ling Lan knew she just needed to give Li Lanfeng a peace of mind. Otherwise, that guy would definitely use forceful methods. With her current condition, if he was to force her to do something, she wouldn't be able to do anything about it. What was more important was that she didn't want her identity as a female to be exposed before reaching the top of the food chain of the galaxy.

Soon, Tian Fang had prepared a private room for Ling Lan. Li Lanfeng held Ling Lan in his arms and slowly laid her on a soft mat.

The medic who followed them quickly put the bandages and treatment agents Ling Lan requested on the coffee table on her side.

Li Lanfeng knelt half way down beside Ling Lan and asked softly, "Do you need me to help you…"

"I don't have any thoughts of marrying a male just yet." Ling Lan took the bandages and lowered her head towards Li Lanfeng and said indifferently, "I think you also don't want to get married to me."

Li Lanfeng's mouth writhed as he swallowed the words 'I want to'. At this current moment, in this current situation, it wasn't a suitable time for him to confess his feelings. Ling Lan was already injured badly, she should not be bothered by his emotions and should just concentrate on healing herself.

Li Lanfeng was usually selfish, but that was only towards others. When it was Ling Lan, he would always let Ling Lan dictate everything. At that moment, Ling Lan needed time, rest and peace. Even if he wanted to tell Ling Lan about his feelings, he still needed to hold them in. He could only wait for Ling Lan to slowly recover from her injuries. Only after everything had returned to normal, would he consider confessing his feelings to Ling Lan.

"Alright. I'll be outside. If you need anything, just call me." After receiving a peace of mind, Li Lanfeng stood up, slowly walked towards the door of the room and closed the door.

He leaned on the door and slid down to the floor slowly. Then he patiently waited for Ling Lan to call him.

At that moment, Li Lanfeng had already forgotten that his injuries were not light either. Just holding Ling Lan tightly in his arms reopened the injuries on his body. After waiting in a daze for a short while, the place where he sat down had a pool of blood under him. Luckily, he could recover pretty quickly so the blood gradually stopped flowing as his wounds began to heal.

However, Li Lanfeng was not aware of what was happening to him. He was only focused on listening to the movements in the room behind him. As long as Ling Lan needed him, he would rush in at a moment's notice.

Ling Lan slowly unzipped her clothes and took them off piece by piece. Her underwear was stuck on her wounds because the crusty and dried up blood. Separating them from her body was the same as opening all the wounds. However, this pain wasn't anything Ling Lan couldn't handle.

"Little Four, did you ascertain that there's no surveillance equipment here?" Ling Lan was always careful so she began to ask Little Four about the situation around her.

However, Little Four, who usually loved to speak, didn���t make any sound.

Chapter 1276 Little Four Disappeared!

"Little Four? Little Four?" Ling Lan shouted out in terror.

However, her mindscape was completely empty. Little Four's annoying yet sharp voice was no longer there.

Ling Lan anxiously used her spiritual power to try to enter the learning space. However, when she tried to enter it, she was rejected by it. Her spiritual power couldn't even get close to it.

'What is happening?' Ling Lan's heart ached. Was she going to lose her little brother Little Four after just losing her father?

"Little Four, Little Four, Little Four, answer me. Don't scare me like this. Little Four, answer me!" Ling Lan cried out in agony in her mindscape.

In the entire mindscape dimension, only her call for Little Four echoed within it. Other than that, there weren't any other sounds. Even Little Blossom didn't make any noise. Ling Lan then remembered Little Blossom. She immediately began to call out for him, "Little Blossom, Little Blossom, are you here? If you're here, please say something. I beg of you. Tell me where Little Four has gone to. Why isn't he coming out? Why isn't he here…" There was still no response. It was as though other than Ling Lan, there wasn't anyone that existed in her mindscape dimension.

"Little Four, Little Four… Why aren't you here? What are you?" Ling Lan couldn't understand what was happening because Little Four, who was always following beside her, had left without saying anything in advance.

Suddenly, Ling Lan remembered that when she was still sad about her father leaving this world, her mindscape was in chaos, which caused her to go unconscious. Was that the reason why Little Four had vanished?

Ling Lan, now with a direction to go towards, began to scan her mindscape. She discovered that the usually lush and lively mindscape had begun to writhe and rot. Although it wasn't as serious as before, it was still quite bad. She actually neglected the odd situation in her mindscape because she was sad about her father.

Something must have happened to Little Four and the learning space. Ling Lan was anxious and frustrated, but she didn't know what to do to ease her frustration. Not being able to enter the learning space disallowed her from knowing Little Four's situation. She was also unaware of Little Blossom and the nine instructors' situations as well.

In that instant, Ling Lan suddenly felt she was abandoned by the entire world. The father, who loved her dearly, was most likely dead. Her little brother, Little Four, who had always been following beside her since her birth, had disappeared as well. Moreover, Xie Yi, who was always optimistic and loved to smile, had sacrificed himself to make sure they could get away from the profound god state energies safely.

At that moment, Ling Lan could no longer control herself. She quickly covered her mouth. She was like a lonely little animal. She curled up in a fetal position and began to sob softly.

Li Lanfeng, who had been paying attention to Ling Lan all this time, heard Ling Lan soft sobbing. He put his hand on the door, but in the end, he helplessly put his hand down and continued to lean on the door instead.

His heart was aching for the person he loved who was always tough and never cried. However, now that tough person was silently crying by himself. Li Lanfeng's tears were always used for a purpose, but today, he cried because he was sad. He was crying for that person who he truly loved.

'Ling Lan. I know that being so proud, you wouldn't want me to see you at your weakest. The me right now can't do anything even though I see you crying in such pain. Even a word of comfort would be seen as an insult to you. A useless me can only just cry with you. I really hope I can cry more for you. Hopefully, it will lessen the pain.'

Two people, one outside the room and one inside. Both were crying. One was for herself and the other was for the person he loved. They had different feelings, but shared the same pain.

At a place where neither of these two knew about, Luo Lang clenched the bracelet Xie Yi had gifted him while also sobbing intensely. In the past, he didn't understand the feelings Xie Yi had for him when he gave him the bracelet. He had even disliked him for it. However, now, he understood the reason, but he no longer had a chance to respond to the question Xie Yi had asked him back then.

The moment he was referring to was the time when they graduated from the military academy. At that time, Xie Yi suddenly called him to hangout in a cafe. When he arrived at the cafe, Xie Yi pushed a beautifully wrapped box to him.

Luo Lang looked at the box with a suspicious gaze in his eyes as he asked in confusion, "What's this?" Was it one of those prank boxes? Xie Yi always liked to pull pranks and make jokes, Luo Lang had to be on guard.

Xie Yi had a pained expression on his face as he said, "This is a graduation gift for you. Can't you just trust me."

"Well, who asked you to lose everyone's trust in the past few years?" Luo Lang pouted. If it wasn't because he was open-minded, Xie Yi might have been disliked by everyone in the world, causing him to not have a single person play with him.

Xie Yi pretended he didn't hear those words and looked at Luo Lang with a smile, gesturing him to open the box and take a look.

Although Xie Yi loved to make jokes and pull pranks, the only person who he didn't prank other than Ling Lan (Xie Yi didn't dare to prank Ling Lan) was Luo Lang in the past few years.

Luo Lang trusted Xie Yi wouldn't lie to him, so he opened the box with high expectation. After all, he was still quite happy that someone gave him a gift.

After opening the box, he only saw a flat and common looking bracelet. The color was green which wasn't the color Luo Lang liked. It was rather close to the color of his skin.

Luo Lang saw it and had a look of disdain on his face, "What's this? It doesn't look nice at all." Well, Luo Lang still liked those beautiful things. In Qi Long's words, he would be considered as someone who was focused on appearances.

Xie Yi was annoyed at Luo Lang's pure dismissal of his gift. "Luo Lang, don't judge a book by its cover."

He quickly taught Luo Lang how to use the bracelet step by step. It turns out, the seemingly ordinary bracelet, was not so ordinary. It was actually a weapon that could change into countless different forms.

It could shoot out a grappling hook, taking a person up over a wall. There were also needles inside it that could be shot out. The most important part was that if he was in danger, he just needed to push down on the bracelet firmly. Then, Xie Yi would be able to lock onto his location and arrive promptly.After hearing all this, Luo Lang was very annoyed. "If I can't handle it, then what use would you be? It would be more useful to get Boss."

"Alright. I'll stay and hold the enemy while you go find Boss," Xie Yi didn't get angry and only replied with a smile on his face. Perhaps that was the real thought in Xie Yi's mind. Him going to Luo Lang was not to save Luo Lang, but rather it was to use his life in exchange for Luo Lang to have a chance to live.

"I don't want it. Wearing it will weigh me down and be a burden." Luo Lang didn't want to wear something that he deemed to be useless.

Xie Yi said sadly, "This is something I ordered long ago. I spent a lot of money… If you don't want it, then the few months that I starved myself would all have been for nothing."

"What…" Luo Lang didn't think Xie Yi lived so frugally just because of this bracelet.

"Yeah. Our credits are all with Boss. Plus, I didn't give our Boss a present. If he knows that I only give you a present, I'll definitely die by his hand," said Xie Yi with a terrified look on his face.

"Then, why don't you also give the others this present?" asked Luo Lang in confusion.

"They don't need it since they're all stronger than me." Xie Yi shrugged with a helpless look on his face.

Chapter 1277 I Don't Believe It!

"You are implying I'm weak? I think you haven't beaten me yet." Luo Lang gritted his teeth angrily. Why did everyone think he was the weakest link even though he was the third strongest?

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Then what should I do? I ordered it to your size. No one else can wear it. It will be wasted if you reject it," Xie Yi hugged his head with his hands.

Seeing Xie Yi's saddened expression, Luo Lang pitied him a bit. He looked at the bracelet and felt that just tossing it away was indeed quite wasteful. Thus, he helplessly said, "Forget it. Just give it to me. I'll just wear it as an accessory."

Xie Yi's eyes lit up at Luo Lang's answer. He immediately stood up, picked up the bracelet in Luo Lang's hands and carefully put it on Luo Lang's wrist.

Right at that moment, Xie Yi suddenly asked softly, "Luo Lang, if someone who liked you gave you something like this and put it on for you, would you accept them?"

Luo Lang looked confused and asked, "Accept what?"

Xie Yi laughed and sputtered, "Nothing. I was just asking for fun."

After hearing Xie Yi dismissing the question, Luo Lang didn't think much of it. In reality, Luo Lang was someone who didn't like to think too much, unless his calm personality appeared, he would stay in a ditzy manner. Plus, the calm personality would definitely not help analyze Xie Yi's feelings for the main personality. "Xie Yi, you bastard. Why do you not like women and like me instead? Even liking my little sister is better than liking me…" Luo Lang said softly as he cried, "I never thought about that kind of stuff. I only saw you as my best friend. I'm sorry. I can't give an answer right now. Even if I do, you wouldn't be able to hear it."

"If you have a chance to return alive, then maybe I will be willing to give you a chance…" Luo Lang held the bracelet in his hands as he cried. "I don't like men, but if it is you, I will be willing to give you that chance. Xie Yi, did you hear that. You have to promise me that you will return alive and well. Prove to me that you love me…" Luo Lang didn't know what he was saying anymore. It was just like when Xie Yi gave up his life to give him a chance to live. He also wanted Xie Yi to stay alive. Even thought he never had any thoughts about homosexuality, he would still be willing to try it out for Xie Yi. As long as he could stay alive.

Lingtian Independent Army soon received word of General Ling Xiao's death and Ling Lan's disappearance. No matter if it was Lin Zhong-qing and others who were on Base Nebula, or Qi Long and the others protecting the transport convoy, they all felt as if they were all struck by lighting.

"I'm going to go look for Boss. I will go find him." Qi Long didn't care about the many major generals in the transport convoy trying to stop him. He just took two Destruction Devils and left. He went straight towards the area where Ling Lan fell in the trap.

At the same time, Base Nebula, which had just returned within the Federation's boundaries, also returned under Lin Zhong-qing's command to the location where they last separated with Ling Lan.

However, what they saw was all desolate debris. It was because the profound god state energy's eruption had destroyed everything in this area of space. The blueish tint space also lost its color, becoming a dark gray color.

Finally, the two sides met up. Qi Long commanded the two Destruction Devils' to enter Base Nebula. He rushed into the command center and grabbed the collar of Lin Zhong-qing as he shouted angrily, "Why?! Why didn't you stop him? Why did you make him fight a god-class operator all by himself? Why? Tell me why!" Lin Zhong-qing bit his lip and looked at Qi Long in silence. After Lin Zhong-qing received confirmation that Ling Lan had disappeared, he had been blaming himself. If he had kept his eye on Boss, would he have been able to stop Boss from leaving the base? After thinking up to that point, he was full of regret. He hated himself for staying in the logistics department while Boss was in danger.

"Where is Li Lanfeng? Luo Lang? Xie Yi? What are they doing? Why didn't they stop Boss?" The Federation's headquarters only publicly announced Ling Xiao and Ling Lan's situation. Qi Long and the others still didn't know Li Lanfeng, Luo Lang and Xie Yi's situation.

"They disappeared together with Boss. We don't know what happened to them either." Li Jinghong saw Qi Long become increasingly angrier and Lin Zhong-qing constantly blaming himself. Li Jinghong was afraid Qi Long might explode so he immediately responded to his questions. "And you know fully well we can't stop Boss. If he didn't leave, Base Nebula would definitely have been destroyed by that god-class operator. We would all die. Boss definitely wouldn't let something like that happen. We didn't have a choice…" said Li Jinghong in a pained tone. No one wanted to see all of this happen. However, at that moment, Boss really chose the best option, which was sacrificing herself in exchange for the people on board to survive.

"If Boss dies, then what would be the meaning of us living?" said Qi Long, now reddened with anger. "It would be better to have Base Nebula destroyed together with Boss.""Qi Long!" Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong, who followed Qi Long, shouted out angrily. The stuff he said were only allowed as thoughts and it should definitely not be spoken out. Otherwise, it would make the soldiers working under them feel terrible about themselves.

"Damn it! Damn It! Damn it all to hell!" Qi Long knelt on the ground. He angrily smashed the ground. He couldn't accept the result. Although they said Boss had disappeared, it actually meant that he probably wasn't alive.

No one told them Ling Lan was taken away by the 7th Bugle Call. Ren Feiyu knew about it, but Ren Feiyu wouldn't tell anyone now. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to explain why he watched as Ling Xiao killed himself without helping him. Even if he wanted to find a chance to give out this information, he could never be able to say anything now since Ling Xiao had devoured his consciousness.

As for Ling Xiao, he was more unlikely to give news that his daughter was still alive. He would rather no one know. That way his daughter would be able to freely, safely and soundly live in a faraway land. She wouldn't need to face the traps and plots created by the inner circle within the Federation.

Thus, the military headquarters believed Ling Lan had died during the clash between the two profound god states. In reality, they did find a few metallic pieces floating in space. After analyzing them, they were indeed imperial mecha pieces.

However, in order to let the soldiers and citizens still have hope and not despair, they still claimed that Ling Lan had disappeared instead of killed. Otherwise, if General Ling Xiao and his descendants were to die together, it would definitely cause the Federation's people to go insane. No matter if it was this generation or the previous one, the Huaxia Federation always placed immense importance on continuing a person's bloodline. In the Federation, insulting someone by saying that they will not have any descendants was considered the worst insult. There would definitely be vengeance between the two parties if those words were to be said in an argument.

"I don't believe Boss died. He definitely will come back." A sharp female voice echoed in the air. Right after those words were spoken, Luo Chao and Han Xuya walked in.

Qi Long lifted his head and looked at Luo Chao in hopes that she could give him a promising answer.

Chapter 1278: Two People's Decision

"My older brother is my twin so there is a subtle connection between us. My heart tells me that he's still alive. He isn't dead." Luo Chao pointed to her heart and continued in a firm tone, "Since my brother isn't dead, Boss can't be dead since he is much more powerful than my brother. Why are you crying and lamenting? Shouldn't you be helping Boss to control the situation here so that he can gain more power in the future when he returns? What a bunch of losers you are. You are making me look down on you

Luo Chao glared at the men with contempt. They should be discussing how to stabilise Boss's power, especially since General Ling Xiao had died. No one could help Boss now. They needed to work even harder now to help Boss.

"Luo Chao is right. You shouldn't be lamenting in sadness. We should think about how we can help Boss control the Lingtian Independent Army and the 23rd division. We can't let anyone take away General Ling Xiao's hard work. The general of the 23rd division can only be Boss," Han Xuya agreed with Luo Chao.

"Yes, you're right."

"We mustn't shoot ourselves in our foot. During this time, when Boss is away, we must protect the Lingtian Independent Army."

"And the 23rd division."

"It'll be harder to protect the 23rd division. We don't have enough power. However, we must protect the Lingtian Independent Army."

Everyone started speaking. The atmosphere soon became lively.

Actually, none of them believed that Boss, who was as powerful as a god to them, would die. But, they just couldn't find a reason to support their belief. Luo Chao's words finally gave them confidence. If Luo Lang was alive, Boss would definitely be alive too. Yang Mingzhi noticed that everyone had pulled themselves together so he opened his mouth and said, "Yes, this is what we need to do immediately. The reason why our commander sent us out is most probably because he doesn't want anyone to take over the Lingtian Independent Army."

"But the whereabouts of our commander is unknown. The military won't let the position remain empty. Even if they don't appoint a new commander, they will probably send us a temporary commander," Liu Furong said.

"We need to discuss how we should tackle this issue and help our commander retain his position." Yang Mingzhi stared intently at the young heroes brought up by Ling Lan. They were all amazing talents. If they went out, every division would try and snatch them furiously. Yet, they were willing to stay beside Ling Lan and follow him. They were willing to contribute to the Lingtian Independent Army.

Ling Lan was lucky to have a bunch of loyal comrades. At the same time, these young people were fortunate enough to have such a caring leader. Yang Mingzhi clearly knew the amount of effort Ling Lan took to groom her comrades, maybe even more than these younglings could imagine.

This was the result of both sides opening their hearts to each other. For the first half of Yang Mingzhi's life, he had experienced a lot. He had a group of brothers-in-arms who went through thick and thin together. However, betrayal, politics, and schemes cost him his lifelong friends. He was disappointed and had almost given up on life. He just wanted to spend the rest of his life quietly without thinking too much. That way, his life would be easier.

However, life was interesting. He was sent to the 23rd division and entered the 250 Ace Mecha Clan. Then he met a powerful and ruthless young man, Ling Lan.

He could still remember the first time he saw Ling Lan. It was hard to forget him. His sharp gaze and his cold aura made him shudder in chill. He felt cold from head to toe.

He received the impression that this young man must be heartless and cold-blooded, maybe even a tyrant. Other people might not notice it but he could smell the devil blood aura hidden behind his chilling aura, an aura that could only be gotten by killing many people.

Just as he expected, Ling Lan used vicious and ruthless ways to control the 250 Ace Mecha Clan. The moment he acted, the more blood flowed. Yang Mingzhi hated his brutal methods but soon, he realised that all the seemingly tortures were actually good for their bodies.

Noticing this fact, Yang Mingzhi started to gain interest in Ling Lan. He observed him carefully and noticed that every time he hit someone, he would choose the spot that caused the least damage. Moreover, there would always be military doctors at the side so the situation was always under control.

Then, he saw the useless mecha operators standing up again. They basically turned into a totally different person. He began to understand that this cold-looking young man had a warm heart. The actions of Ling Lan confirmed his viewpoint.

Slowly, Ling Lan gained the respect of Yang Mingzhi. Yang Mingzhi saw Ling Lan training her comrade, protecting them from getting schemed by their enemies, preventing them from becoming a chess piece of the military, and making sure that they were safe until they became someone significant. He was jealous of them. If he met such good brothers, he wouldn't have to go through so many pains and torments. He might be stronger than he currently was.

Yang Mingzhi respected Ling Lan wholeheartedly. However, he belonged to the First Marshal faction. The battle for power between the two generations, the First Marshal and General Ling Xiao, meant that he couldn't support Ling Lan entirely. He was always worried that he would be discriminated by Ling Lan but instead, he didn't mind his identity at all. He told him that as long as he didn't betray Lingtian, they could work together.

It was a calm statement but he was blown away by it. Ling Lan meant what he said. Ling Lan gave him power and authority. Yang Mingzhi knew that if Ling Lan wanted to give him a position without real power or take his power away, he could do it easily. There was nothing he could do to retaliate. Lingtian's soul was Ling Lan. Anyone could be missing but not Ling Lan.

Unknowingly, Yang Mingzhi's heart was already shifted towards Ling Lan, the Lingtian Independent Army, and this bunch of simple-minded young people who were filled with vigour and dreams. He didn't want this beautiful dream to be destroyed by the political war of the military headquarters. He wanted to protect these people, especially when Ling Lan wasn't around.

Yes, he wanted to repay the person who trusted him sincerely. The person who was young enough to be his son but yet won his respect. He wanted to repay Ling Lan.

"The military would definitely send someone," Liu Furong continued. "There is only one thing we can do. Make this person into one of us. Make him into someone who wants to protect Lingtian and not snatch Lingtian from our commander."

Everyone exchanged glances. No one knew what to say.

"Actually, besides sending someone, they might choose a person among us. In that case, there will be less resistance within Lingtian too," Liu Furong added.

Yang Mingzhi nodded. "I'm one of the candidates. Vice Commander Liu will most probably be another candidate too."

"However, we're not suitable for the position." Liu Furong frowned. "Vice Commander Yang's identity puts him in an awkward position. The Second Marshal and Third Marshal won't agree. I have past records of crimes so the three marshals won't put me in the position too."

"We can push Leader Qi into the position." Yang Mingzhi finally revealed his and Liu Furong's decision. While Qi Long and the others were feeling sad about what happened to Ling Lan, both of them had already started making preparations. They knew that they mustn't lose their composure and cause an even greater problem.

Chapter 1279: Bitch!

Everyone turned to look at Qi Long who was stunned by Yang Mingzhi's words. After thinking about it, they realised that Qi Long was the most suitable person to temporarily take over Ling Lan's position. Most importantly, they believed in Qi Long's character, trusting him that he would not exploit Boss's rightful position.

They believed in Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong too but after all, they came into Lingtian at a much later time, while Qi Long had been with Ling Lan since he was a scout. He was publicly known as the number one underling of Boss. So, after taking everything into account, he was more suitable for the position than Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong.

Everyone nodded in approval. Yang Mingzhi and Liu Furong heaved a sigh of relief after seeing that their proposal had gained everyone's approval. They were afraid that once Ling Lan was gone, there was no one to lead the team, leading to a state of disunity. This would give their enemy a window to destroy them internally. However, from the looks of it, they had been worried about nothing. Ling Lan had been instilling authoritative culture into her comrade unconsciously. When he was not around, they would still listen to their superior, for instance, Qi Long.

If Qi Long wasn't around, there would be another superior they could listen to. The structure was detailed and clear cut. The team wouldn't be in disunity because of the disappearance of one person. Yang Mingzhi couldn't help but admire his young commander. What kind of devil was he? How was he able to take into account so many details and make plans for so many scenarios in advance? If his commander didn't have so many enemies scheming against him, he wouldn't have been forced into this dire situation.

Yang Mingzhi believed that when his commander passed this crisis safely, he would be able to govern over the whole galaxy. Yang Mingzhi started feeling pity for those people who schemed against General Ling Xiao as they would soon regret their actions in the future.

"It will be difficult to push Leader Qi into the position too. We will need everyone's help. We must use all the power we have, including those of people behind you." Yang Mingzhi's gaze turned sharp as he scanned the crowd.

Luo Chao bit her lips. She was the first to open her mouth. "I will convince my father to support Qi Long secretly." Her father would help, even if it was just for her elder brother.

Han Jijyun followed closely. "If the Qi family moves, the Han family will support wholeheartedly." His family had always moved together with the Qi family. Thus, he needed to be certain of the Qi family's intention first before showing his support.

Everyone looked at Qi Long again. Qi Long wiped his face and said resolutely, "If my father can help me, I'm willing to kneel down and apologise to my father for Boss's sake." Qi Long's relationship with his father was not very good. If he wanted his father to ignore the Third Marshal and help him, he needed to make some sacrifices. This was hard for the prideful Qi Long, but for his boss, he was willing to throw his pride away.

"I don't know what the Li family's attitude is. You know that I don't have much sway in the Li family." Li Yingjie frowned. "However, I will work hard and convince my parents to help." He was a little afraid of his grandfather. For some reason, he felt that his grandfather didn't like him, even though he was the most likely successor of the Li family.

"The Li family will definitely help." Closely after Li Yingjie talked, a refreshing voice sounded. Li Shiyu just rushed over from the medical department.

"I'll handle the Li family," Li Shiyu said with absolute certainty. His eldest cousin brother, Li Mulan, was missing too. His grandfather would definitely do something.

Li Shiyu gave up the right to fight for the position of the family head but he still was well aware of the internal workings of the Li family. He knew how important his eldest cousin brother was to his grandfather. He didn't know what the reason was or what agreement the two of them made but as long as things weren't irreversible, the Li family wouldn't give up on Li Mulan. Hence, if his eldest cousin brother didn't leave Ling Lan, the Li family would continue supporting Ling Lan.

The Li family liked to play things safe but they wouldn't reject doing something harmless and could bring them many benefits when it succeeded.

Li Shiyu turned to look at his stupid little brother. When Ling Lan decided to accept Li Yingjie into her team and groom him, the fate of the Li family became bound to the Lingtian Independent Army. Li Yingjie slowly grew stronger in the Lingtian Independent Army and had successfully climbed to a high position in the military, so his future was now directly tied to the Lingtian Independent Army. The Li family couldn't forsake the Lingtian Independent Army now. This might be heaven's way of helping Ling Lan. He didn't aim to gain anything from accepting Li Yingjie but in the end, it helped him.

"I don't have a powerful background but I do have some say in the Pu Jun. I'll seek help from them," Zhao Jun said. Don't underestimate the power of normal soldiers. They represented the mass public. Once they reached a consensus, their influence was terrifying.

"I'll talk to the Elites," Han Jijyun continued. That year, they agreed to let one of them enter the Pu Jun and the other into the Elites, not because they wanted to dip their hands into everything. They just wanted to understand the intentions of grass-roots units as well as the thoughts of the middle-rank officers. If they could deeply understand every level of the power chain, they would be able to make better plans and policies in the future.

Of course, this was suggested by Ling Lan. Boss was afraid that they would become someone cold-blooded who would use their men like chess pieces or someone who would come up with vicious schemes that would cause unnecessary death. Constant interaction was needed to understand what the soldiers wanted, were afraid of, and their desires. Thus, when they come up with battle plans, they would take these into consideration, decreasing the number of deaths so more soldiers would be able to go back home.

They listened to Boss's orders diligently. After gaining a deeper understanding of these communities, they finally gained their approval. Moreover, they had a good reputation in their organisations. That was why they were able to call for help at this time.

"Since everyone knows what to do, let's get moving. I believe the military is already eyeing the Lingtian Independent Army." Yang Mingzhi looked up at the virtual sky above their base. It was bright and sunny but he felt gloomy. This was a hard war. They didn't have General Ling Xiao backing them now. Now, there was no one who would be able to handle the influence of the three great marshals.

Actually, it wasn't just the Lingtian Independent Army. A lot of people were eyeing to take over the 23rd division too.

"Senior Colonel Lan, Senior Colonel Lan, calm down. The marshal is currently busy now. He doesn't have the time to see you." A senior colonel was blocking a beautiful female senior colonel from entering the room behind him. He had cold sweat on his forehead as he persuaded the other party to not barge into the room.

The beautiful female senior colonel was Ling Xiao's wife, Ling Lan's mother, Lan Luofeng.

"Move aside!" Lan Luofeng glared at him angrily.

"Senior Colonel Lan, this is the first marshal's manor." The senior colonel stood his ground. If this lady wasn't Ling Xiao's wife, he wouldn't have been so polite. He would have called the security and chased her out.

"If you dare to stop me, I'll shout molest. Let's see if the people here help you or help me." Lan Luofeng didn't care about her image anymore. Her husband's body couldn't be found and her daughter had disappeared secretly. Why the f**k would she care about her image now? If the door guard really provoked her, she didn't mind acting like a bitch.

Chapter 1280: Do You Dare?

The senior colonel immediately took a few steps back when he heard the sudden threat. He raised his hands in the air and looked at Lan Luofeng with a frightened expression. He was afraid that if he accidentally touched her, she might really frame him for molesting her. That would be disastrous. If the entire nation thought that he was being disrespectful to the wife of General Ling Xiao, he would be torn to shreds by them.

Lan Luofeng snorted at his defensive posture and walked past the senior colonel.

The senior colonel lifted his arms but he didn't dare to stop her. If he let Lan Luofeng in, he would at most be scolded by the First Marshal. But, if he angered Lan Luofeng, she might really frame him so he decided to let her in.

Lan Luofeng charged into the First Marshal's office. The First Marshal was currently talking to a general in front of him. When he saw Lan Luofeng barging in, he frowned slightly. He was slightly furious at the door guard for not stopping her.

The general turned around and saw Lan Luofeng entering. He knew that she was Ling Xiao's wife. She must have some business here so he got up and bid farewell to the First Marshal.

After the First Marshal sent the general away, he turned and said to Lan Luofeng, "What are you doing here?"

Lan Luofeng gave a cold smile as she looked directly into his eyes. "Why can't I ask about what happened during the war at Twilight? I'm Ling Xiao's wife. I am also Ling Lan's mother. Ling Lan shouldn't have been sent to the battlefield in the first place. What kind of idiot sent him there. I want justice for my son!"

The First Marshal's expression turned dark. "What kind of attitude is this? Have you forgotten where you come from?"

"Haha, don't you know where I come from?" Lan Luofeng sneered as she looked at the First Marshal with contempt.

"You have no manners at all. Your father didn't teach you well." The First Marshal looked disappointed.

"Don't mention my father. You're not worthy of mentioning him. At least my father isn't someone who would send his own son to his death!" Lan Luofeng shouted angrily. If he didn't talk about her father, she might still be able to curb her anger and talk peacefully with him. However, once her father was mentioned, she couldn't control her emotions anymore.

"You know nothing about that. Get out of here immediately." The First Marshal was indignant.

"Well, ask your people to chase me out then." Lan Luofeng wasn't afraid. She sat down arrogantly on the sofa opposite the First Marshal and scoffed. "Ask them to chase me out personally… but, do you dare to?"

Based on data, there were at least four god-class operators that died in Ling Xiao's hands. He even pulled Monarch Fury down with him before he died. This credit was enough to astound people and for his nation to give him their eternal gratitude. They moaned for the death of someone who could have stood at the top of the galaxy. As his wife, Lan Luofeng was also highly respected by the nation. The citizens wouldn't allow anyone to offend or humiliate her, not even the First Marshal.

If there was news that the First Marshal personally sent an order to chase Lan Luofeng out of his manor, his reputation, which he built for over a hundred years, would collapse overnight. Even without any actions from the Second Marshal or the Third Marshal, he would be pushed down his position by the angered citizens.

This was where Lan Luofeng got her confidence from.

"You! You will anger me to death." The First Marshal pointed at Lan Luofeng. As expected, someone raised by that unfilial son was no good.

"You won't die. You like power too much. How can you be angered to death by just my words? That isn't like you." Lan Luofeng smiled coldly.

"Bastard." The First Marshal couldn't control his anger anymore. He slammed his hand on the coffee table beside him, shattering it in the process.

"Bastard? Haha, are you referring to yourself?" Pain flashed past Lan Luofeng's eyes. She always wished that she was just the daughter of an ordinary family. She didn't want to be the granddaughter of this powerful but heartless old man who only wanted to pursue more power.

"Lan Luofeng, you are able to be so impudent because of my son. Don't destroy what's left of this relationship," the First Marshal replied coldly.

"I told you to stop mentioning my father. Also, I'm able to be impudent because I'm Ling Xiao's wife." Lan Luofeng stood up and glared at him.

"Alright." A third voice interjected the argument.

Lan Luofeng and the First Marshal looked towards the door simultaneously. An elegant lady had appeared at the door. She was the one who stopped the quarrel.

"Why are you here?" The First Marshal frowned. He had a look of disapproval on his face.

"Am I supposed to let the two of you continue arguing?" The elegant lady, who was the mistress of the Lan Family, sighed. She walked over and stood in front of Lan Luofeng. She looked at Lan Luofeng amiably. "My little Luofeng, grandma can finally take a good look at you."

In the past, she could only take a quick look at her secretly or ask her fourth son to bring her over. The meeting was always hurried. However, those occasional visits stopped when her fourth son and his wife died. Even if she couldn't bring her home, she asked her sixth son to arrange for Lan Luofeng to grow up in a normal family with the same surname. They were afraid that if she was discovered without their protection, their enemy would harm her. Hence, the elegant lady didn't continue to look for Lan Luofeng too. She could only look at photos to curb her longing.

When Lan Luofeng was 16 years old, she entered the military and became a JMC. The mistress used her influence to direct her to enter the relatively safe 7th division. This division belonged to the First Marshal. She hoped that her fourth son's only child was able to grow up safely. At first, she just hoped that her granddaughter would have a normal and safe life. However, she married an exceptional youth, Ling Xiao. A month later, Ling Xiao 'died' in a war and Lan Luofeng started raising her child alone. It was tough. As Ling Lan grew older, she became more and more outstanding. Lan Luofeng finally managed to settle down. But after Ling Xiao came back, both her husband and daughter climbed higher and higher, gaining more attention and hatred in the process. Her mistress's wish for Lan Luofeng's peaceful life didn't come true. However, in the eyes of every lady in the Federation, Lan Luofeng had hit the jackpot. She had a good marriage and a good child. They gritted their teeth in jealousy when they thought about how amazing Lan Luofeng's husband and child were.

If this continued, Lan Luofeng might still have a blessed life like what her grandma had hoped for. She would be able to live peacefully until her death. However, things went against her wishes. Her granddaughter had a hard life. Her husband still died in the end. The impact this time was even greater than before because this time, her only child went missing too. When the mistress heard this, she could hear her heart shattering into pieces. She felt regret too. She should have rejected the marriage between Lan Luofeng and Ling Xiao.

Actually, the First Marshal was happy to see Ling Xiao and Lan Luofeng getting married. If not, how could Ling Xiao chase Lan Luofeng so successfully? As the daughter of the Lan family, even though she was raised outside of the Lan family compound, they wouldn't let her get married to someone so easily.

In the past, she was convinced by her husband. However, she regretted it now. She shouldn't have believed him. When he mercilessly sent her fourth son to death, she should have stopped believing him when it came to family affairs.

As his wife, she knew him very well. She didn't believe that the First Marshal didn't know anything about the scheme behind Ling Xiao's death.