Chapter Nine: The Riftmaker of the Ethereal Clan

Behind a boulder, Captain Liu slowly opened his eyes. Desolation stretched across the wasteland before him, indistinguishable sky and earth, the cacophony of gunfire and explosions snapping him back to reality. Two soldiers crouched nearby, weapons trained ahead, faces tense and wary.

Captain Liu scrambled to his feet, gazing toward the camp. Chaos reigned—nearly a hundred tents reduced to ashes, fallen comrades scattered everywhere. Under raging flames, nothing remained except for the brutal melee of alien creatures.

“What happened? What happened!” Captain Liu cried out in a frenzy, grabbing the nearest soldier.

The soldier’s expression was grim. “Our camp was attacked by the aliens, Captain. Don’t you remember? You ordered a bombardment of the Red Cliff, then we were ambushed.”

“What?” Captain Liu was stunned. He had no recollection of any such order, nor could he fathom the circumstances. Turning his head, he saw Zhang Jiandong’s corpse lying nearby. He was completely at a loss, unable to grasp what had transpired.

Moments later, Captain Liu took a deep breath. He had been tasked with monitoring the Red Cliff for so long, and was familiar with the aliens’ tactics. Recently, the Red Cliff’s spirit value had surged, and a strange force field had plunged the entire camp into a dream. It was highly likely he had been mentally manipulated.

“What are you waiting for? Follow me!” Captain Liu’s eyes were bloodshot. As a soldier, whether controlled or not, he could not shirk responsibility for his devastated camp. This was a disgrace to any soldier.

“Captain!” The soldier grabbed him, tears welling in his eyes. “Don’t go, Captain, all our comrades are gone. The company commander told us to protect you...”

“Why protect me? Why? We are soldiers! Our lives belong to this land. What we must protect are the data—the generations of hard-won data! Why me?” Captain Liu’s voice was hoarse, raging like a wounded leopard, his jaw muscles twitching in grief.

“Because we need to preserve the lineage of our battalion!” Tears streamed down the soldier’s face.

Captain Liu kicked the soldier to the ground, cursing. “Preserve the lineage? If the data is lost, what face do we have to preserve anything?”

“Captain! Captain!” Another soldier quickly pulled the furious Captain Liu away.

Boom!

A violent explosion erupted. A 96B tank had its turret blown off, a burning soldier crawled out, his agonized screams nearly breaking Captain Liu’s composure.

“I don’t care how powerful you aliens are—I refuse to believe you cannot be killed!” Captain Liu howled at the sky, snatching a 95 rifle from a soldier and charging forward heedless of danger.

At that critical moment, a golden circle appeared in mid-air. Golden light swirled, forming a Tai Chi symbol, blazing like the sun and illuminating much of the night sky. It crashed down, flattening and crushing several alien creatures instantly.

A dragon’s roar thundered, a crimson arc pierced the sky, burning through an alien creature, whose body ignited and disintegrated. The crimson faded, revealing a dark golden Dragon Halberd, radiating murderous intent. Long Shaoxian descended from the heavens, drawing the halberd, and swept it with practiced skill, sending several attacking alien creatures flying.

One alien creature turned and prepared to pounce, but a strange human face suddenly appeared behind it. A cold gleam flashed, and its head was sliced off, rolling several meters away. Bai Li Chasing Souls swept across the battlefield like a phantom, decapitating several alien creatures in smooth, fluid motions.

Elder Ge landed, the golden Tai Chi dissipating. He surveyed the scorched earth that was once the camp, his expression shifting from stern to ruthless, eyes filled with murderous intent. He pointed and slashed, a golden arc cleaving the ground, tossing out a fleshy mass. Long Shaoxian snorted, leapt toward it, and the Dragon Halberd burst into flames, stabbing at the mass.

The fleshy mass extended a black talon, clashing with the halberd. Both rolled through the air in a flurry. Long Shaoxian pressed his attack, stepping through the void and slashing repeatedly. Crimson arcs met black talons, filling the space with deafening explosions.

“Everyone retreat to a safe zone. We’ll handle these aliens.” Elder Ge’s voice was heavy as he addressed the soldiers, wounded and dead scattered around.

During the fight with Long Shaoxian, the fleshy mass sprouted a second arm, then a third, fourth, and both legs, its combat ability rising with each movement.

Captain Liu rushed over, quickly gathering any soldiers still capable of fighting, focusing all firepower for support. Reinforcements arrived, rescue helicopters evacuated the wounded and dead.

Soon, nearly a thousand troops had assembled deep in the wasteland, preparing for a major battle. Watching Long Shaoxian and the terrifying alien clash in mid-air, every soldier stood ready, without a hint of relaxation.

“Crawlers dare to offend the Supreme Void Clan!” A deep voice echoed through the sky. The fleshy mass shrank, a head emerged—green-eyed, blue-faced, fanged, terrifying as a demon from a painting. A fierce aura swept across the sky, pressing down on everyone with unprecedented intimidation.

Elder Ge’s gaze trembled. From the force field, it was clear this creature was no ordinary being. Compared to the previously slain alien soldiers, its combat power was on a completely different level.

“Could this be... the Ripper that Xuanyuan Qianqian spoke of?” Elder Ge muttered in disbelief.

Captain Liu frowned. “A super-warrior among the aliens?”

“You know of them?” Elder Ge turned to Captain Liu.

Captain Liu nodded gravely. “Yes, we’ve studied this unknown race for years. Generations have collected data. In the history of the Tomb of Ten Thousand Corpses, their presence is recurrent. We know a bit—the Rippers are distinct from the Void Clan’s slave soldiers. They are true war machines: brave, ruthless, and extraordinarily powerful in single combat. Research indicates they mainly rely on exoskeletal powered armor. Aside from strong brain force fields, they have little actual combat ability.”

“Exactly, look at this Ripper—the exoskeleton is its powered armor. So this is the culprit behind the dream-induced confusion in our camp. I never expected the Rippers to arrive so quickly... Or perhaps they've been lurking on our planet for a long time. Where do the Void Clan truly come from?” Elder Ge spoke, brow furrowed.

In the sky, the battle between Long Shaoxian and the Ripper grew ever fiercer. Blinding flashes erupted continuously. The Ripper, now fully emerged from the flesh mass, wore black bone armor, stood two meters tall, slender and agile. Despite Long Shaoxian’s formidable prowess, the Ripper was evenly matched.

Long Shaoxian growled, his Dragon Halberd cleaving through the sky, smashing down on the Ripper.

The Ripper raised his arm, a black barrier flashing to block the strike, then retreated a hundred meters, unleashing a blazing beam that tore through the darkness, boiling the air in its wake.

A blood-red dragon mark appeared on Long Shaoxian’s brow. The dragon’s shadow roared, blasting the beam apart, then charged forward, halberd poised for another fierce strike, giving the Ripper no chance to escape.

Bang!

A muffled impact echoed. The Ripper caught the Dragon Halberd between his arms, locking eyes with Long Shaoxian, his voice hoarse and ethereal: “Blood Dragon Seal. You are of the Imperial Dragon Clan. Hmm… We fought your forebears before. Indeed, your combat power is impressive. But do you think you alone can halt the advance of the Supreme Void Clan?”

“Too much talk.” Long Shaoxian unleashed a side kick, forcing the Ripper back. Her hand clawed fiercely at his face. The Dragon Clan had fought the Void Clan many times throughout history, and Long Shaoxian knew their secrets. She understood the exoskeletal powered armor—if she broke through that shell, the Ripper would pose no threat to her.

The Ripper immediately grabbed Long Shaoxian’s right hand. “You should know—the Supreme Void Clan has wiped out civilization on this planet more than once. Your Imperial Dragon Clan failed to save the last one, and this time, you’ll fail again!”

Bang!

Long Shaoxian kicked the Ripper away, saying nothing, her gaze cold and merciless. Dragon might flooded all directions; dragon horns had appeared on her brow, a sign of the clan’s full battle power.

“Cough, cough. But you are not the one we’re waiting for!” Clearly, Long Shaoxian’s kick had been fierce. The Ripper plummeted a hundred meters before regaining composure, roaring in anger as Long Shaoxian charged again. His right claw flashed with light, pointing at her.

“Void Strike. Fall!”

Inside a jeep, several people could see distant flashes of light and energy rippling through the sky. Tong Fifth Young Master was anxious. “Looks like the Void Clan has sent a real powerhouse this time—someone who can fight Sister Long so intensely.”

Luo Longyu stared, stunned. Suddenly, the low chanting in his mind returned, sharper than ever, as if it would split his skull apart.

Countless fragmented images swept through Luo Longyu’s mind—skies shattered, palaces falling, endless creatures wailing, warships roaring, oceans overturning into the galaxy. So many scenes flashed by that he nearly fainted.

“Brother Luo!” Just as one crisis ended, another began. Tong Fifth Young Master was frantic, rushing to restrain Luo Longyu’s hands as he clutched his head.

He froze when he saw Luo Longyu’s eyes.

Those eyes were abyssal. Deep within, Tong Fifth Young Master saw clear visions of apocalypse—blood-soaked earth, extinguished stars, gods and demons melting like snow in fire, billions of beings turned to corpses, burying the land...

In the next instant, all visions vanished like fallen leaves. Twin silver beams burst from Luo Longyu’s eyes. He let out a furious roar, a savage force erupting from within, hurling Tong Fifth Young Master aside. Unprepared, Tong Fifth Young Master crashed through the jeep door, tumbling awkwardly among the rocks.

The young man of the first research team slammed on the brakes in fright. Luo Longyu burst through the roof, crazed and wild.

“Are you alright?” Another rushed from the car to help Tong Fifth Young Master up.

He shook his head anxiously. “I’m fine, I’m fine. Hurry, something big is happening!” The two scrambled back into the battered jeep, ignoring the damage, and sped at full throttle toward the chaos...