Published: February 13, 2025
Commander Cheng Liujin was drinking in his tent, squinting at the live broadcast of the novice battlefield on the light barrier.
The entire Star-Eye Clan had entered a state of martial law since the novice battlefield began. The three main teams and the clan leader's guard had all entered intense training mode, spending their days training except for meals and sleep.
Other races’ citizens were also placed under militarized management, with all communications with the outside world cut off. Only a few powerful individuals were able to see this live broadcast.
There was a knock at the door, and Cheng Liujin said, "Come in." The visitor pushed the door open and walked directly in front of Cheng Liujin.
The Golden Commander wasn't surprised and pointed to the chair in front of him.
"You had already left, so why have you come back?" Lord Xing asked after a moment of silence.
Cheng Liujin forced a smile and downed the last of his drink. He pointed at the light barrier and said, "If I don’t come back, will you continue to mess things up? Look at what’s happening! What good does this do for the clan?"
Lord Xing looked at the light barrier. The last merged cycle had begun. Although the people from Cloud Summit had anticipated their situation, it was clear they were still overly optimistic. From the moment they entered, they had come under attack. Fortunately, Zhang Jia had brought the Musk Ke people to join them, and the Su Clan members also arrived, stabilizing the situation and helping them escape the chaos near the teleportation point.
"Look at what our people are doing—they’re reporting the positions of the Cloud Summit Manor people to the enemy! Just because they are registered under our Star-Eye Clan, they can be tracked at any time! If the Cloud Summit Manor people all die, will they survive? If they're all dead, we won't have any ranking and will gain nothing."
Cheng Liujin's emotions became more agitated as he continued, "We offend Zhong Ming, and we gain nothing in return. So tell me, what’s the point of our actions?"
"To harm others without benefiting ourselves? Does Zhong Ming have such a deep hatred for us? No! On the contrary, he has brought life back to the dying Star-Eye Clan. He has brought us honors we’ve never known before, yet we’re burning the bridge after crossing it, opposing him at every turn."
"It’s just that Zhong Ming has good luck and rapid growth in strength; otherwise, because of the issues with the commercial street, those two big clans would have taken their lives by now."
"Lord of the Clan, can someone who has disappeared for many years and contributed nothing to us suddenly control the fate of our entire clan? I think not. You and Lord Yan are making a mistake."
"Even if that person is your master."
After saying this, Cheng Liujin didn't look at the displeased expression of Lord Xing and continued, "I won't leave because I am a member of the Star-Eye Clan. I want to watch over my people, whether we move toward glory or toward extermination."
After these words, the room fell into a long silence.
"You are actually keeping the three major camps in check, preventing them from causing chaos," Lord Xing suddenly spoke. She looked up at Cheng Liujin with gratitude and said, "Zhong Ming has already left the city and took the Assault Camp with him. Pao Bai went to the Musk Ke people. If the situation here doesn't change, he probably won’t come back; if you leave too, then the three major camps will definitely descend into chaos, and the foundation of our Star-Eye Clan will be shaken."
"We know we owe you for staying despite understanding everything," Lord Xing's voice weakened.
Cheng Liujin waved his hand, closing his eyes, making it impossible to know what he was thinking at that moment.
"Lord Xing, you didn’t come today just to apologize, did you?" Cheng Liujin said softly.
At this moment, he had become utterly disappointed with the higher-ups of the Star-Eye Clan.
He knew that the two clan leaders were struggling and even wavering internally. On one hand, they tasted the sweetness of benefits and their own aspirations; on the other hand, was their master who had taught them all they knew, almost like a father figure.