1251-1260

Chapter 1251 Number Three?

After the sparks disappeared, Ling Lan's mecha disappeared from its original spot and appeared a kilometer away. At that moment, her mecha was somewhat mutilated. The outer shell on one side of her mecha was completely stripped off, revealing the countless circuits and parts inside the mecha.

Despite looking terrible, Ling Lan still managed to get out alive and didn't die by the sword of Lord Jindao.

"Boss," Luo Lang instantly shouted out happily when he saw Ling Lan was fine.

"What just happened?" Lord Jindao looked at Ling Lan, who was now a kilometer away from him, with confusion. The sword slash just now, no matter the speed or angle, should definitely have killed Ling Lan. How could Ling Lan dodge it? Was he no longer an imperial operator and had entered into the realm of god-class?

This possibility entered Lord Jindao's mind but he furiously shook his head to get rid of those wild thoughts. Just from how Ling Lan evaded him from before, it showed that he was still in the realm of imperial level and was at most at the highest peak of the imperial level. There were still two or three steps left before he would break through the imperial level and enter the god-class. He definitely couldn't suddenly advance into god-class in such a short amount of time.

If imperial operators could easily skip those three steps and advance, then the Twilight Empire wouldn't only have three god-class operators in the past two centuries.

God-class operators not only needed to accumulate experience, but it also required them to obtain the 'feel' of advancing. Moreover, they would also need a certain element of luck mixed into their advancement. The 'feel' and the luck of it all were the hardest things to acquire for an imperial operator who wished to advance. Many imperial operators might not even advance in their entire lifetime due to their lack of these two factors.

If his opponent wasn't a god-class operator, then how could he have a method to avoid his sure-kill attack? Lord Jindao was confused, but couldn't find an answer to explain the situation.

"Ling Lan, focus." Ling Lan's consciousness was somewhat wispy. While she was still in that groggy state, she was woken up by a deep yet crisp voice.

"Hmm? Instructor Number Three?" Ling Lan shook her head and got rid of the groggy feeling out of her head and forced herself to fully awake.

"Yes, your body is now temporarily under my control. I originally thought my presence would force your consciousness back to the learning space to rest in order to deal with the feedback of your body becoming possessed. However, Number Two said your spiritual energy has grown vast enough to fight against the feedback so you won't need to go back to the learning space. Now, I hope you can stay focused and carefully watch how I pilot a mecha," said Instructor Number Three with a serious tone in his voice.

"Okay," Ling Lan said solemnly.

In reality, her choice to fight was made mostly because she felt that if she was unable to hold out against her opponents, her instructors would come out and aid her. However, she wasn't 100% sure of her intuition so she could only bet on it.

Now that an instructor came out just like she had hoped and had also brought out a surprise alongside him, she was quite elated. Ling Lan didn't know that she didn't need to go unconscious during the possession. She could experience Instructor Number Three's fabled mecha piloting first hand. It should be known that back then in the Central Scout Academy, Instructor Number Five was the one possessing her when she was completely unconscious.

She didn't expect that increasing her spiritual power had such great benefits. Ling Lan somewhat rejoiced that back then she wasn't scared to death by the spiritual training method that was torturous and was an unspeakable horror. After many years of self torture, it brought about countless benefits for her in the end.

Ling knew very well that Instructor Number Three's mecha piloting was very strong. However, she was still curious as to who would be stronger between Instructor Number Three and a full-blown god-class operator. Whatever the outcome was, it was a great opportunity for her to be able to personally experience two godly warriors battle out with mechas.

Ling Lan had long realized she had reached a bottleneck. This bottleneck wasn't the bottleneck between imperial level and god level, but rather the natural limit of her female body. Despite her using many different methods to train and expand her strength, forcibly increasing this limit by many levels, she still couldn't overcome the said bottleneck.

Ling Lan knew very well that if she didn't resolve this issue, she would never have a chance of reaching god-class. This wasn't a matter of not having enough luck nor having enough experience, but rather because of the limits of her own body. For example, if a female body was like a bottle could hold a certain amount of liquid, and to advance god-class, it needed more water than what the bottle could contain. Since there was such a limit, how would she advance to god-class?

Maybe after personally experiencing how god-class operators operated, she thought she could maybe find a way to resolve the issue of her body's limits. Why does she think so… Well, it was because her Profound Insight had told her. Ling Lan trusted her innate talent of Profound Insight with unwavering trust.

Right as Ling Lan and Instructor Number Three finished their conversation, Lord Jindao held up his sword and attacked once again.

After many failed attempts, Lord Jindao's killing intent began to leak out of his body. If he didn't kill Ling Lan today, Ling Lan might perhaps grow into a thorn in his heart which would inhibit him from improving any further, unless he personally got rid of this thorn through a fated meeting. Otherwise, he would never be able to enter that dream-like world of gods that all god-class operators dreamt to reach.

Lord Jindao felt his emotions were starting to get the better of him, and he knew something was wrong. This was why Lord Jindao made the decision to follow and kill Ling Lan no matter what.

After seeing Ling Lan was fine, Li Lanfeng shifted all of focus to Lord Jindao, aimed at him and pulled on the trigger without any hesitation.

Bang! This time, the beam accurately hit the wrist area of the mecha. His previous erratic shot was completely useless and it didn't help Ling Lan one bit. He almost caused Ling Lan's death. Li Lanfeng hated himself for being so useless. He never wanted to ever be so helpless in a situation ever again.

However, despite his unwavering conviction, Lord Jindao was just too fast. Although Luo Lang and Xie Yi's reactions were fast as well, they were still slower by a beat and missed all of their beam gun shots.

"Damn it." Luo Lang saw that his shots were ineffective, so he tossed aside the beam gun in his hand and took out the large sword from his back. He then rushed towards Lord Jindao, who was already facing off with Ling Lan.

Luo Lang's thoughts were simple. If he couldn't stop him using guns, then he would use his own mecha to stop him. All in all, if someone wanted to kill Boss, they must get past his dead body first.

"You guys interfere from long range."

Right at that moment, Ling Lan's calm voice echoed through Luo Lang's mecha's commlink channel.

Luo Lang immediately stopped his mecha and grit his teeth as he put back his large sword on his back. He then took out a beam gun and aimed it at Lord Jindao once again.

On the other side, after seeing Luo Lang rush forward, Xie Yi also followed behind him. He also immediately stopped after hearing Ling Lan's orders from the commlink channel. Just like Luo Lang, he took out his beam gun and aimed it at Lord Jindao.

However, the two of them discovered that long range interference wasn't an easy thing to do. Especially, when both mechas were moving about, attacking and evading. They couldn't lock on to Lord Jindao's mecha. In order to successfully interfere with Lord Jindao, they must predict his movements.

Prediction, or intuition, or using their own battle experience. If Qi Long was there, it wouldn't be hard for him. His innate talent, Animal Instinct, could tell him exactly and accurately where he should shoot at. Luo Lang and Xie Yi on the other hand didn't have talent in this aspect. Thus, they could only use their battle experience to predict the movements.

This type of prediction was akin to a blind guess. It could be right or could be wrong. There was no doubt that this was going to be a gamble. If they were right, they would be able to interfere with Lord Jindao. If they were wrong, they might even make things worse. Not only would they not interfere with Lord Jindao, but they could even bring about trouble for Boss. That was because they might shoot Boss instead of Lord Jindao.

Chapter 1252 Complete Trust

Sweat formed on Luo Lang and Xie Yi's foreheads. Their fingers moved a few times but they didn't dare to pull the trigger.

They were afraid that their predictions were wrong. If they were wrong, Boss might die from their own mistake.

Bang! A white light ray suddenly flew right past them. Luo Lang and Xie Yi panicked as the light zoomed towards Ling Lan.

"Li Lanfeng!" Luo Lang shouted angrily.

Li Lanfeng fired the shot. He aimed it in Ling Lan's direction.

Just as Luo Lang was to berate Li Lanfeng, the situation on Ling Lan's side changed. Ling Lan moved agilely and shifted herself to the other side of Lord Jindao, exposing Lord Jindao to the line of fire.

What would you do when you realise someone is sneaking an attack on you during a heated battle? You either dodge it or use your opponent to block it.

Lord Jindao was very confident in himself so when he noticed the incoming beam, he just nonchalantly raised his sword to block it.

At that moment, Ling Lan mecha was still facing away from Lord Jindao. Suddenly, she twisted her hand and aimed her beam sword at Lord Jindao's cockpit while he was blocking the beam. The angle of her attack was very weird.

Her beam sword was directed to the weakest spot of the cockpit.

When Lord Jindao noticed the snake-like sword, he felt his heart dropping. He quickly ignored the beam, tilted his body and dodged the sword.

Li Lanfeng didn't relax even when he was successful in his interference. He continued to look for the next opportunity.

"How did you do it? Aren't you afraid that you might hurt Boss?" Luo Lang asked in astonishment.

Li Lanfeng continued staring intently at his target. He didn't reply to Luo Lang.

Luo Lang felt that he wasn't going to get an answer. However, after some time, Li Lanfeng said in a calm tone, "I believe that our commander will be able to put things right even if I'm wrong."

Luo Lang frowned. He had a bad feeling.

"I was aiming at the commander just now." Li Lanfeng didn't make any predictions just now. He just shot at Lord Jindao because he saw him in his beam trajectory. Ling Lan was in the beam trajectory too but he didn't care. He had complete trust in Ling Lan.

"You…" Luo Lang almost fainted. Li Lanfeng was so irresponsible.

"Reality proved that I'm right." Li Lanfeng's reply made Luo Lang speechless.

"You should trust in the commander." Li Lanfeng reminded them out of goodwill.

As he was speaking, he fired another shot.

Coincidentally, Ling Lan moved when he pulled the trigger. Hence, she didn't get hit by the beam.

"Luo Lang, I think that Brother Li is right." Xie Yi noticed this too.

"If you say it's right, then it is." Luo Lang had complete trust in Xie Yi too.

They stopped hesitating. Their gaze became resolute as they pulled the trigger of their beam guns while speaking.

Three white light rays flew towards Lord Jindao. They weren't able to cause much damage to him but it managed to break his concentration. Number Three took the chance to attack Lord Jindao furiously. The cooperation between the four of them allowed them to suppress Lord Jindao.

"Ling Lan, even if you meet someone as strong as you, you need to analyse their mecha piloting too. Just now, if our opponent decided to ignore my attack and take the blow forcefully, he will have an opportunity to counter-attack us. We will be the ones getting suppressed then." Number Three made use of Li Lanfeng, Luo Lang, and Xie Yi's disturbance to attack Lord Jindao. Lord Jindao was forced to defend. Yet, Number Three still had the energy to talk to Ling Lan.

"So your attacks are actually just for show?" Ling Lan immediately understood her instructor.

"Yes. My attacks might seem powerful but they wouldn't be able to hurt him." Number Three felt a little pity for himself. "The difference between the two mechas is too great. The personal ability of the mecha operator can't make up for the vast difference. We can only prevent ourselves from getting defeated. Lord Jindao is stunned by my showy attacks. Once he understands what is happening, our advantage will disappear."

Ling Lan furrowed her brows tightly. She realised the situation was worse than she expected. "How long can you last?"

"You should ask your body how long can last under my control," Number Three said helplessly.

He was a spiritual entity. As long as their spiritual entity existed, they could fight for many days and nights. However, the human body couldn't last forever. The stronger their host was, the longer they could take over the body and the longer they could fight.

Of course, their strength was an important factor too. The more powerful they were, the greater the damage to the host's body. That was why Number Five and Number Nine could take over Ling Lan's body for a different amount of time. Number Three's ability was among the top three of the instructors. He was far stronger than Number Five. If Ling Lan's body was weak, the amount of time he could take over her body would be much shorter.

However, no matter how strong Ling Lan's body was, she couldn't let Number Three take over it forever. Her body would collapse sooner or later under the possession.

"Tell me how long my body can last." Ling Lan knew that there was always a price to pay for everything. Life is fair.

"If you don't want to be hurt, you can last for three minutes and nineteen seconds. If you want me to take over till your last breath, we can go on for four minutes and forty seconds," Number Three replied.

"I can only elongate the time for less than a minute if I'm willing to get hurt." Ling Lan frowned. This might not be enough time for the reinforcements to come after Base Nebula managed to contact the headquarters.

"Can we escape?" If they couldn't win, they could run. Where there was life there was hope. Ling Lan wouldn't make unnecessary sacrifices.

"If this was (Belief], I would have killed him already. But with this junk, there's no chance of even escaping." Number Three sighed in frustration.

This was the most frustrating battle Number Three ever fought. He was able to release the full potential of an imperial mecha, maybe even exceeding its potential a little, but there was still a limit. Imperial mechas couldn't be compared to god-class mechas. The difference might not be apparent during short battles but if they tried to escape, the god-class mecha would be able to catch up with them easily. No matter how good his mecha piloting was, he couldn't pilot an imperial mecha move as quickly as a god-class mecha.

This was the limit of an imperial mecha.

Chapter 1253 I Can Persevere!

"We can only take the gamble." Ling Lan realised that she didn��t have a choice.

"Yes. If you want to live, pray that Base Nebula will get out of the no-signal zone quickly and the reinforcements will arrive soon." Number Three didn't stop attacking while he was speaking to Ling Lan. His assault on Lord Jindao even got more ferocious.

"Ask Li Lanfeng, Xie Yi, and Luo Lang to leave first." Ling Lan didn't want her comrades to die with her.

Number Three had taken control of her body. Hence, she needed to let him do the talking.

"Don't think about it. They won't leave even if you tell them to," Number Three replied with certainty.

Ling Lan knew that this was the truth. Since they came here, they were already prepared to live or die with her. After sorting out her thoughts, she let out a deep sigh. She could only hope that her body would be able to pull through until the reinforcements arrived. She didn't want to die with her comrades.

Time passed slowly. Ling Lan suddenly vomited blood.

"Have you reached your limit?" Number Three frowned.

"Three minutes has passed." Ling Lan bore with the excruciating pain in her body as she looked at the timer on her screen. She had reached her limit. From now on, the longer Number Three controlled her body, the greater the damage her body would receive.

"Damn it, these imperial operators are so slow." Number Three started becoming irascible when he saw Ling Lan getting hurt. However, he needed to continue taking over her body. Once he left, Lord Jindao would be able to kill Ling Lan.

"You can't blame them. The most important thing is whether Base Nebula had managed to leave this zone and call for reinforcements," Ling Lan kept her cool.

"There's only one minute left. If they haven't arrived by then…" Number Three was worried. If their host died, they could just find another host. However, Ling Lan was like a child to them. They didn't want her to die.

Actually, they were already breaking the rules when they decided to take control of her body. Based on the guidelines of the learning space, they weren't allowed to interfere with the host's matter. But, they wouldn't be punished even if they broke the rules so this was why they could help Ling Lan whenever they wanted.

"They will come. Even if they don't, I know one person will." Ling Lan was confident.

She started practicing her Qi exercises. She also asked Number Three to drink the third generation Nuwa agent in her cockpit.

Ling Lan hoped that she would be able to resist longer with the help of these two things. This would increase their chance of survival.

Number Three dodged Lord Jindao's attack while drinking the Nuwa agent. Ling Lan immediately felt numb and itchy. Fortunately, the excruciating pain was still there so it covered up the numbness and itchiness a little. If not, Ling Lan might go crazy from this weird feeling

"The side effects of this agent are so frightening." Number Three was in control of Ling Lan's body so he had a taste of the strange and uncomfortable feeling too. His expression turned hideous.

"Number Three, bear with it." Ling Lan didn't expect the third generation Nuwa agent to be so powerful. It was many times stronger than its second generation. She felt that her endurance was good but she almost lost control of herself too.

"Howl!" Number Three roared. His fingers moved furiously over the control panel. Ling Lan could almost see green smoke rising from the panel.

Ling Lan's mecha started attacking Lord Jindao crazily as if this was its last burst of fire.

"Increase the frequency of our beams." Li Lanfeng frowned deeply when he saw Ling Lan's actions.

He felt that Ling Lan might be preparing for something. He just didn't know what it was since Ling Lan didn't give him enough hints.

Lord Jindao felt the increase in strength and speed of Ling Lan's furious assault. His expression changed as this meant that his opponent's hand speed had increased again. When Ling Lan managed to block his attacks, he was already very puzzled. He thought that Ling Lan might have taken some forbidden medicine and activated an innate talent that could strengthen his abilities.

However, this usually could only be done once. Did this mean that his guess was wrong? Did Ling Lan manage to advance to a god-class operator during this fight?

Malicious intent appeared in Lord Jindao's eyes. He had the urge to ignore the plan and kill Ling Lan immediately.

Luckily, he managed to control his impulses in time. He didn't launch his ultimate technique but continued defending instead. If anyone else saw their fight, they might think that he was suppressed by the combined efforts of the four mechas.

Once Ling Xiao arrived, he would kill Ling Lan instantly and let him have a taste of what it was like to lose his son. This was the reason why Ling Lan still hadn't been killed by Lord Jindao. Lord Jindao purposely let her off.

The sudden burst of fierce attacks lasted only for a short while. Ling Lan changed her offensive stance to a defensive stance.

Li Lanfeng watched Ling Lan attentively. He started analysing her actions.

One minute had passed. Ling Lan's condition was getting worse and worse. Blood was flowing continuously out of her mouth. Her clothes were drenched in blood. The smell of blood filled the entire cockpit.

"Ling Lan, can you still handle it?" Number Three's heart was in pain. Was Ling Lan really going to die?

Ling Lan gave a bright smile. "Of course, I can last one more minute."

Number Three nodded. He knew that she would only be able to resist another thirty seconds at most, that was if he slowed down his attacks to minimise the backlash to her body.

Number Three was also trying to drag the time as much as he could.

Chapter 1254 Bad Situation!

"Commander is in a bad situation." Li Lanfeng noticed that Ling Lan's assault was becoming weaker and slower. She was still able to dodge the attacks from Lord Jindao, but the minute differences in Ling Lan' attitude could not be hidden from Li Lanfeng's eyes. He could see that Ling Lan was no longer at an advantage.

"We must go all out." Luo Lang kept his gun aimed at the two fighting mechas. He desperately wished that he could dive into the fight and maybe block a sword slash with his body just to help Boss.

"Four minutes has gone by. Based on the max speed of Base Nebula, it should have flown out of the no-signal zone. Meng Lan must have contacted the headquarters by now. If there's no delay in the reinforcements, we just need to persevere for one more minute." Li Lanfeng expressed his thoughts. While he was speaking, his beam gun kept moving along with Lord Jindao's movement.

If he could, he wished that he could be in Ling Lan's position instead of her. Even if he died, he wouldn't have regrets. However, he couldn't do that. He knew him staying out of the fight was the best thing for Ling Lan.

Overall, he was just too weak. Li Lanfeng hated himself. He kept saying that he would fight alongside Ling Lan but in the end, Ling Lan was still the one protecting him.

Xie Yi was prepared to help Ling Lan at any moment's time. Among the three of them, Li Lanfeng's long-range technique was the best. The next best was him. Even if Luo Lang was the last among the three of them, he was still among the top five brigade leaders in terms of long-range technique. It was just that his close-combat technique was just better than long-range technique

20 seconds had passed. Blood wasn't just flowing out of Ling Lan's mouth now. Her skin was starting to crack. Blood stained her undergarments. While she was receiving the full degree of the backlash from the possession, Ling Lan was still receiving the impact from piloting an imperial mecha.

"F**k. Why can't the universe accept Ling Lan?" Number Three screamed in anger as he dodged Lord Jindao's sword again.

She was chased by a powerful mecha team when she went to school for the first time. When she was still a scout, domain realm masters attempted to assassinate her. Now, she was being attacked by the ultimate weapon in the universe, a god-class mecha.

Number Three had lived for a long time so he could tell that Lord Jindao's target was Ling Lan. 'Why is trouble always attracted to Ling Lan? Is it because of her past life? Is this why this universe is rejecting her and wanting to kick her out?' Number Three felt that this universe was ill-treating Ling Lan.

"Huh?" Number Three suddenly retreated back in a fluster as he felt an unprecedented sense of danger coming towards him.

A group of white light rays appeared around Lord Jindao. The group of white light rays was seemingly released from Lord Jindao's command and rushed towards Ling Lan. It was so bright it split the dark space into two.

The three people at the side were shocked. They quickly pulled their trigger.

They felt the sense of danger too.

Three beams erupted from their muzzles. They congregated into a huge ball of light and flew towards the group of light rays.

Boom! Everyone was blinded by the white light. Xie Yi and Luo Lang closed their eyes instinctively. However, Li Lanfeng forced himself to keep his eyes open. He wanted to see if Ling Lan was safe.

A tattered mecha rushed out of the group of white light rays. There were many damages on the mecha. Some cuts were so deep that the electrical circuits under the mecha's outer shell could be seen. Sparks flickered on the circuits.

Fortunately, Ling Lan managed to escape.

Li Lanfeng was elated that Ling Lan was safe. However, in the next moment, he saw a glaring light ray detaching from the group of blinding white light rays. The white ray chased after Ling Lan's tattered mecha.

"Dodge!" Li Lanfeng shouted frantically. He charged towards Ling Lan without thinking.

Faster, faster. He must reach Ling Lan before the white light ray hits him.

Cold sweat appeared on Ling Lan's forehead. They merged with blood and dripped down Ling Lan's body.

Number Three was still in control of Ling Lan's body. "If you want to kill Ling Lan, you have to seek my approval first. Move!" Ling Lan's hand speed broke its limit again. Number Three knew that this might cause irreversible injuries to her hands but saving her life was more important now.

Ling Lan's mecha went against the law of motion again. It shifted a few meters to the right and evaded the light ray.

Ling Lan was hurting all over. In her daze, she felt as though she went back to her past life when every inch of her body was in pain.

"Lanlan, how can you be so heartless. How can you leave your father and I behind? Why can't you persevere for a while longer? Do you know that our country has invented a new medicine that can help you? If you were still here, we would have been able to lead a happy life together."

Ling Lan couldn't see the dark universe anymore. She was in a beautiful place with trees all around her. However, there were many tombs too. UNder the orange glow of dusk, four people were standing in front of a tomb, crying while solemnly tilting their forward.

Ling Lan floated over uncontrollably as if she was attracted to them.

There were two old people and two young people. They seemed to be two couples. Besides the young lady, the other three people seemed familiar to her.

"Lanlan, I brought your favourite ice cream, fish soup, and stir-fried chinese yam with black fungus. These are all your favourite dishes." The old lady took out the dishes she prepared and placed them on the marble platform. She touched the tomb with tears in her eyes.

'Tsk, why does this Lanlan like all the food I hate?' Ling Lan pouted.

'Wait, this isn't right. Mum never cooked these dishes for me before? Why do I hate them?' Ling Lan was puzzled.

"Ling Four, what is happening?" Ling Lan naturally asked Little Four for an answer.

Chapter 1255 I Said That I Will Protect You!

Little Four didn't answer her.

"Little Four?" Ling Lan got a little agitated when no one replied to her. Little Four had accompanied her ever since she was born. Thus, she was used to having him around.

Ling Lan shouted for Little Four frantically but he still didn't appear.

'Damn it. Where am I?' Ling Lan got frustrated.

"Sister, I brought Wan'er to see you. She is your sister-in-law from now on." The young man smiled as he pulled the hand of the young lady beside him.

The young lady smiled lovingly at the young man. Then, she said in a shy voice, "Sister Ling Lan, I will take care of Ling Lang. Don't worry about him."

"Yes. Ling Lan, Wan'er is a really nice girl. She treats our Langlang very well. I'm satisfied with my daughter-in-law. That is why I am bringing her here today. You don't have to worry about your brother anymore." The old woman smiled happily at the young lady. The sadness in her eyes diminished a little.

When Ling Lan heard 'Sister Ling Lan', forgotten memories suddenly flooded her mind.

'Is this my past life? They were my parents and my younger brother. Is that my sister-in-law whom I never met?' Ling Lan remembered everything.

"Are you doing well in the other world? Do you have people taking care of you? Your health is poor. If no one takes care of you, I'll never be able to rest easy. Are you able to eat properly? We are really worried about you so your mother made your favourite dishes. Your sister-in-law helped too. Do eat more." The old man sighed in a deflated tone.

"I'm doing very well now. I have two new parents in my new world. I'm their only child so they pour all their love on me. They do not let me suffer at all. If something happens to me, my father will take his knife, I mean, take his mecha and take revenge for me. Even if my father were to be rational, my mother will urge him to do it. They're good parents," Ling Lan said softly.

She seemed to be replying to her former parents but she was actually recalling her past. Her first life was filled with regrets but heaven paid her back in this life.

Ling Lan finally remembered the time that she ate fish soup and stir-fried chinese yam with black fungus. She hated them so she would frown whenever she ate them. She never expressed her dislike for the dishes but her mother noticed her disgusted expression. Thus, these two dishes never appeared on the dining table again.

There was no ice cream in her house too.

In her past life, her parents loved her too. However, this love was hidden behind endless pain and responsibilities they had to bear. Ling Lan knew they loved her younger brother more. This wasn't because he was a male. It was because her younger brother had a future with them while she didn't. They couldn't afford to love her too much. They were scared of being hurt when she left the world.

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Ling Lan understood the emotional burden her former parents had to bear. Everyone would protect themselves unconsciously. No one wanted to hurt themselves. If they loved her less, letting her go would be less painful for them.

She understood their rational actions but she still felt sad. She didn't like those cheap dishes but she forced herself to eat them because she didn't want her parents to waste more money on her. Yet, her parents never noticed the pain in her eyes.

When she didn't finish her food, they never asked her why either.

Ling Lan was obedient but she was just a child. All she wanted was to be love. However, she didn't know how to ask for love. As she grew older, she got used to the lack of affection her parents were giving her.

"I'm very happy in my new world. Really." Ling Lan let out a pure genuine smile. The beautiful scenery around her paled in comparison to her smile.

"I have nothing to do with this life anymore. Father, mother, this is my last time calling you my parents. I hope you will have a happy and healthy life. I hope my younger brother will lead a good life with his wife. I have to return to my world now. I belonged there, not here." Ling Lan's smile was enchanting.

She lifted her finger and slit the air in front of her. "Break!"

The scenery around her exploded. Ling Lan felt a stabbing pain.

"Ling Lan, are you alright?" Number Three asked anxiously. Ling Lan's consciousness disappeared from her mindscape just now. Number Three thought that something happened to her.

"I'm fine." Ling Lan's voice was hoarse.

Number Three wanted to reply to her but he suddenly sensed danger. "Damn it!"

Ling Lan was already on the verge of collapsing. However, Lord Jindao had shortened the distance between them.

Lord Jindao was already treating Ling Lan as a god-class operator so after launching his ultimate god-class technique, he followed it up with another attack. He must have predicted Number Three's movement because the attack was aimed at Number Three's current position.

No, that wasn't right. It was more accurate to say that no matter where Number Three went, he wouldn't be able to dodge Lord Jindao's following attack.

Number Three gritted his teeth as he moved Ling Lan's bloodied fingers again. If one's eyesight was good enough, one would see the white bones protruding out of the tips of her fingers

Number Three had reached his limit. He knew he couldn't evade the attack. He could only protect the cockpit from being damaged.

He didn't know how powerful this attack was. Would the residual force be strong enough to destroy the cockpit even if it wasn't hit directly?

Suddenly, a mecha appeared in front of her.

"Li Lanfeng!" Ling Lan widened her eyes in shock. She didn't know what else she could say.

"I said I'll protect you." Li Lanfeng smiled. A huge beam shield appeared from his arm.

"Boss!" Luo Lang and Xie Yi frantically fired at the huge homing light ray. They hoped that they would be able to dissipate some of its energy.

Bang! Another white beam cut through the universe and blocked Lord Jindao's attack.

Chapter 1256 Ling Xiao's Arrival!

When the white light ray dissipated, the unscathed Li Lanfeng and Ling Lan looked towards the source of the beam. A huge mecha had appeared suddenly not far away from them. They were elated.

"It's father!" Little Four jumped up immediately and started dancing happily.

"It's the general." Luo Lang and Xie Yi couldn't restrain their excitement when they saw Ling Xiao arriving in time to save Boss.

Lord Jindao shook his head in pity. Then, he looked at Ling Xiao and said, "Ling Xiao, you're finally here."

Ling Lan was in a bad state but fortunately, she was still alive. Ling Xiao heaved a sigh of relief. He turned and glared at Lord Jindao. "Jindao, you bully my son when you can't defeat me. How shameless."

"Not as shameless as you when you sneak attacked my nation's planets," Lord Jindao gritted his teeth.

"Twilight should never have existed in the first place." Killing intent flashed past Ling Xiao's eyes. [Belief] disappeared and appeared beside Lord Jindao in a blink of an eye. A white light flashed.

Boom! An explosion occurred. Two beam swords collided with each other. Lord Jindao got thrown back for a few thousand kilometers. He looked at Ling Xiao from afar.

Cold sweat appeared on his forehead. He was unprepared for the attack just now but he still believed that he could block it. However, contrary to his expectation, he didn't. He was thrown back by his opponent.

Lord Jindao was dumbfounded. Ling Xiao became a god-class operator thirty years after him. He was his junior. Hence, when the Federation claimed that Ling Xiao was the most powerful god-class operator after he came back alive that year, Lord Jindao didn't believe it. He thought that the Federation created a fake god of war to reassure the faith of their citizens.

In actual fact, he didn't agree with Twilight's plan in the first place. He felt that it was a waste to use so much manpower and money to kill Ling Xiao. Lord Jindao felt that he could defeat this young god-class operator all by himself. Yet, reality gave him a hard slap in his face. He lost to the first attack.

The attack was enough to prove that Ling Xiao had a complete understanding of god-class mecha piloting. He was constantly perfecting his skills so he managed to succeed in his sneak attack just now.

Lord Jindao felt frustrated. He grabbed his beam sword tightly and flew towards Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao only managed to push him back because he was caught off guard. Once he took control of the situation, the result would be different.

Bang! Ling Xiao raised the hand that was holding the beam sword and a white ray appeared.

The two beam sword collided again. It looked like a light touch but the force produced was enough to destroy everything around them. Li Lanfeng and Ling Lan, who were standing closer to the two god-class mechas, lost balance and were almost blown away by the force.

Li Lanfeng's fingers moved furiously as he desperately tried to hold Ling Lan from being blown away by the force.

"Let's go to Luo Lang's side," Ling Lan said.

The moment Ling Xiao appeared, Number Three left Ling Lan's body and returned to the learning space. He was afraid that Ling Lan would die if she received any more backlash so he disappeared as quickly as he could.

"Okay!" Li Lanfeng would always listen to Ling Lan on the battlefield.

Chapter 1257 What Happened?

"Little Four, take control of the mecha. I'll leave the rest to you," Ling Lan endured her immense pain wrecking through her entire body and spoke to Little Four with gritted teeth.

"I-I know, Boss. Please drink your medicine quickly." Seeing Ling Lan being covered in blood and on the brink of death, Little Four almost couldn't hold back his tears from falling out.

While Instructor Number Three was fighting with Lord Jindao, Little Four had attempted to infiltrate the latter's mecha's mainframe in hopes that he could cooperate with Instructor Number Three to kill Lord Jindao. However, when he tried to hack into the mainframe, he quickly realized that the firewall of a god-class mecha was something he couldn't break through in such a short amount of time…

Of course, if he was given enough time, he believed he could definitely hack through Lord Jindao's mainframe. Unfortunately, Ling Lan's current condition of her body did not have the luxury to provide him the time he needed to hack through it.

Ling Lan endured the mind-shattering pain and drank the medicinal agent hanging on her cockpit's wall. Soon after, the familiar feeling of itching and pain began to course through her body.

Ling Lan was not afraid of pain. In terms of enduring pain, Ling Lan was confident if she said she was second in the world, no one else would dare call themselves the best at enduring pain. However, this bone-chilling, challenging limit of human endurance type of numbing itch made Ling Lan's unwavering expression crumble apart. She actually let out some uncontrollable moans a few times to slightly decrease the pain she was feeling. Luckily, Ling Lan was quick enough with her hands that she turned off the commlink channel with her team before they could hear it. That way Li Lanfeng and the others didn't know that she had moaned.

However, this godsakened feeling meant the vial of medicinal agent was still effective on her body and was helping her to heal her wounds.

Ling Lan released a sigh of relief. If she didn't feel anything after drinking the agent, it would be the worst possible scenario.

Ling Lan and Li Lanfeng controlled their mechas and quickly retreated to where Luo Lang and Xie Yi were at, even when they had grouped together, they didn't stop. Under Ling Lan's orders, the four of them backed up many kilometers, moving far away from Ling Xiao and Lord Jindao's battlefield.

Ling Lan knew very well that the battle between god-class operators would be very destructive. It would be best for cannon fodder like them to stay as far away as possible from the battle between god-class operators. Otherwise, if they weren't careful, they might become pigs in a slaughterhouse, they wouldn't even have time to cry about it then.

"Just stay there. Don't get too far away from me," Ling Lan wanted to retreat a little further, but she suddenly heard her father's words.

The message was sent through spiritual power. Although Ling Lan was shocked, she still obeyed her father and stopped in her tracks. Li Lanfeng, Luo Lang and Xie Yi followed Ling Lan closely, so after seeing Ling Lan stopping, they also stopped and waited for their Boss's next orders.

"We should be safe here." Ling Lan held back the anxious feeling she had and calmly spoke.

Although Li Lanfeng felt their current location was still too close for comfort, he still believed in Ling Lan's judgement. When it came to Ling Lan, Li Lanfeng had 100 percent confidence in her.

Luo Lang and Xie Yi didn't complain either. Luo Lang always listened to his Boss and Xie Yi would be wherever Luo Lang was. Even if he felt the distance between them and the two god-class operators was too close, and the fact that it would still be very possible for them to get caught between the battle between god-class operators and become fodder if they weren't careful, he still wouldn't say anything about it as long as Luo Lang was beside him.

Moreover, it was also because Xie Yi knew speaking up would be useless. Luo Lang was Boss Lan's number one fan since they were young. He would unconditionally listen to Ling Lan's orders and go to where Ling Lan pointed him towards, never going against even some of the more crazy orders.

Of course, the biggest part of the reason why Xie Yi didn't say anything was because he trusted Boss wholeheartedly and believed that Ling Lan wouldn't make a poor decision.

While Ling Lan's group of four stopped to spectate the battle, Ling Xiao and Lord Jindao were already clashing using close range weapons.

In the dark void of space, two white specks of light were colliding into each other at top speeds, creating countless sparks in the area around them. Sometimes, silhouettes of large mechas could also be seen by the naked eye. Someone with poor vision wouldn't be able to see the flight patterns of the mechas and could only see random beams of light shining brightly in the void.

Ling Lan's group of four didn't have this problem. Their eyes could clearly see the movements and motions of the battle between god-class operators. Even if they couldn't see it clearly, the modified optical supercomputer on their mechas would still be able to record the movements and slow the speed down to let them watch.

"Dad is pressuring the opponent. Dad is the best," Little Four, who was also watching, said excitedly as he put his arms up in glee.

"I expected no less from the Federation's strongest god-class operator. The Twilight Empire's Lord Jindao is no match for our general," said Luo Lang in admiration.

Xie Yi also had a fiery look in his eyes. Lord Jindao was the strongest mecha operator in the Twilight Empire. Similarly named the strongest, Lord Jindao was still completely suppressed by the Federation's strongest god-class operator, Ling Xiao. He was even retreating back in fear when the general almost struck his mecha's body.

Although the god shield was powerful, one good attack from a god-class operator was still enough to completely deplete the shield's energy. Even though the one second of recovery time seemed short, that instant was still enough for a god-class operator to kill his opponent a few times over.

Lord Jindao was constantly suppressed throughout the fight. In reality, he was already putting in all of his effort, but he still couldn't turn the tide. Reality told him that Ling Xiao wasn't as weak as he had previously thought. He might not be the top ranking god-class operator of the Federation, but he definitely was second or third in the ranks.

Lord Jindao had a bitter taste in his mouth. If it was possible, he wanted to personally kill Ling Xiao and take revenge for the Twilight Empire. Now it seemed he could not complete such a goal.

After thinking about that, Lord Jindao gnashed his teeth in anger. Then, he pushed down on the connect button that he originally didn't want to press on.

"This is Jindao. I now request…" Right as Lord Jindao was about to request for reinforcements, all of his hair suddenly stood up on ends. A never before feeling of crisis went straight to his head. He didn't even think as he quickly retreated back with his mecha as fast as possible.

In that instant, the beam sword in Ling Xiao's hands stabbed into Lord Jindao's cockpit area. However, because of Lord Jindao's quick reaction and speedy dodge, the sword just managed to slightly miss him. The beam sword skimmed the outer shell of the cockpit. Perhaps the distance was still too close as Lord Jindao's mecha lit up in a protective glow. The beam shield on his mecha made the energy from the stab explode outwards, stopping the mecha operator inside the cockpit from getting injured.

Right as Lord Jindao thought he had gotten away with his life, he felt his hairs stand on ends once again. It was an even stronger sense of crisis than before.

Lord Jindao activated his mecha's rainbow shield. At the same time, a beam sword hit Lord Jindao's cockpit area.

The beam sword's energy was instantly depleted. However, Lord Jindao's god shield's energy was similarly depleted in that instant. The rainbow colored glow instantly dissipated and his mecha darkened.

After escaping the attack with his life, Lord Jindao immediately backed up his mecha and wanted the one second of time to pass by.

He originally thought Ling Xiao was going to push forward once more, but Ling Xiao's mecha just stood there and didn't move. It floated in the void and watched him as he got further and further away.

Lord Jindao didn��t know why, but he still actually managed to capture a glimpse of coldness from the eye slits of Ling Xiao's mecha.

Despite being a bit surprised, he was still piloting his mecha and flying away from Ling Xiao as quickly as possible. That was because the feeling of danger in his mind didn't decrease but instead increased even further.

What was actually happening?

Chapter 1258 Entering

"Jindao, move!" An agitated voice pierced through in the team channel.

'Move? Didn't I move already?' Just as this thought flashed past his mind, he saw a powerful beam coming towards him.

It came so quickly and suddenly. Lord Jindao wanted to dodge the beam but right before his mecha moved, he hesitated.

Lord Jindao watched as the white light engulfed him and his mecha. He didn't feel despair. Instead, he was wondering…

Who fired the beam?

Ling Xiao watched Lord Jindao intently as he got swallowed by the beam. He raised his right arm and revealed the wing that was hidden behind it. This was the most powerful offensive of a god-class mecha, the technique that could only be executed by twelve wings –Divine Punishment.

The wing shook lightly and eleven other wings unfurled out.

(Belief] looked like a god descending onto their plane to bring about judgement. Ling Xiao looked around him and said calmly, "You've been watching for a long time. It's time to appear."

Ling Lan and her comrades were flabbergasted. There are more enemies around them? Why didn't they notice anything?

Right then, a huge mecha manifested in mid-air.

It was obvious that the newly arrived mecha was a god-class mecha. It wasn't a Federation's mecha. It wasn't a Twilight mecha too. However, Ling Lan was familiar with this mecha model.

"Caesar!" All four of them thought of the same

thing.

"Caesar is an aggressive nation. I always found it weird how they could resist themselves from entering this war. However, from the looks of it now, they've already made an alliance with you secretly." Ling Xiao wasn't surprised. From the start, he had listed Caesar as one of his potential enemies. He predicted that they would definitely act during the crucial moment.

"We restrained ourselves just to bait you." The other person answered Ling Xiao in broken Federation language. He must be a young god-class operator.

Ling Xiao ignored the speaking god-class operator. He shifted his position a little and said, "Am I supposed to invite all of you one by one? Didn't you make this trap to bait me? I'm here now so why are you afraid to come out?"

When he finished speaking, another huge mecha manifested in the space in front of him. Two other mechas appeared in different directions too.

"Immortal Bird Ling Xiao. You're really powerful. You detected our presence." A hoarse voice appeared in the public channel, followed by the sound of clapping.

"Your killing intent was too obvious, especially when I killed Lord Jindao." Ling Xiao sent a side-glance at the mecha that was floating in space. There was a hole in its cockpit. He smiled coldly.

Ling Xiao knew that this was a trap right from the start. Just like what he said, no one could scheme against him unless he allowed them to. Since this was a trap, there would definitely be more than one god-class mecha. Ling Xiao planned to kill as many as he could to reduce the number of enemies as well as the pressure on him. That was why he fought with Lord Jindao for so long. He was looking for a chance to kill him.

He planned to kill Lord Jindao all along, especially when he knew that he had bullied his daughter.

He didn't talk to Ling Lan or see her personally but the spiritual power from the Divine Command sect allowed him to sense Ling Lan's situation. Normally, Ling Xiao had a good temper and was very patient with matters that might trouble him. He rarely got angry. But, once someone touched his bottom line, that someone must die. Ling Lan was one of his bottom line.

"Ling Xiao, how dare you kill our Lord Jindao. Die!" The second god-class operator that appeared was from Twilight too.

a

"You should be Yuangu," Ling Xiao said indifferently. "So the person stationed near the 7th division is just a substitute. Aren't you worried that those two territories will be taken over by us?"

"If we can kill you, it'll all be worth it." Lord Yuangu gritted his teeth.

"I didn't know I'm so valuable. You're willing to lose two territorial defensive positions just to kill me." Ling Xiao didn't understand why Twilight wanted to kill him so much.

"If you don't die, Twilight will never be at peace," Lord Yuangu said hatefully. Before their fourth god-class operator could be announced to the public, he died in Ling Xiao's hands. Now, Lord Jindao was killed by Ling Xiao too. Ling Xiao was Twilight's natural enemy. They wouldn't be able to sleep properly if he remained alive.

"Caesar sent three god-class operators to kill me. If I include Jindao and you, that'll be five people. What an impressive team." Ling Xiao didn't seem agitated in front of the four god-class operators. Well, being anxious wouldn't help him. Once he entered the trap, his opponents wouldn't let him leave. There were only two paths left for Ling Xiao. Get out of the trap or be killed by the trap. For the first path, he would live. As for the second path, he would die.

The three people beside Ling Lan, including herself, turned pale when they saw the three new god-class mechas.

Ling Xiao was powerful. To them, he was invincible.

However, this was relative. It was only true if he fought in a one on one battle with an opponent.

He might be able to handle two god-class mechas or three god-class mechas until reinforcements arrived but four god-class mechas were too much.

No matter how strong he was, he wouldn't be able to survive the assault of four god-class operators. Was General Ling Xiao really going to die before their eyes today?

Ling Lan forcefully closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she had regained her composure. The hopelessness she felt when she first saw the four god-class mechas were gone.

"Since my father is here, I believe that the other god-class operators will be here soon," Ling Lan said firmly. She believed that her father had made preparations before coming to save her. Her father wasn't a rash person.

At the same time, the frontline command center received signals from Base Nebula as well as the 23rd division.

One was an emergency SOS (Base Nebula), and the other was a new command (23rd division).

Both were very important. Hence, they were sent to Qi Yaoyang immediately.

Qi Yaoyang looked at Base Nebula's message first. As he read the message, his expression changed drastically. He wanted to send reinforcements immediately but he suddenly thought of something. He suppressed his emotions and quickly looked at General Ling Xiao's command.

When he saw that General Ling Xiao had already gone to the Qingri wormhole, as well as the analysis of the current situation, Qi Yaoyang's expression got even worse.

Chapter 1259 Ling Xiao, You Disappoint Me

Qi Yaoyang closed his eyes and pondered for a few seconds. Then, he stood up and ordered, "Release general's order to the 7th division and ask them to launch a full force assault."

The adjutant beside him rushed to the mainframe and sent the order to the 7th division.

"What do we do?" The vice-general, Jin Anlong, asked in a low voice. He saw the message sent by the general too. 7th division should be fine but they were in a dilemma.

If they followed their general's order, they wouldn't be able to send any god-class operators to reinforce the Lingtian Independent Army and their commander, Ling Lan. However, if things really happened according to what general predicted, he and Ling Lan would be in great danger. Yet, this was a good time to gain merits on the frontlines.

"Anlong, inform Mister Muqi and Mister Zhong to go to the Qingri wormhole secretly." Qi Yaoyang gave up attacking and chose to reinforce Ling Xiao instead.

"Okay." Jin Anlong felt a little pity but he agreed with Qi Yaoyang's decision. Merits were important but the safety of their brother-in-arms was more important.

Jin Anlong quickly contacted King Muqi and Falling Snow. With the help of Qi Yaoyang, the two of them left the command center silently. A few flashes of their mechas were seen before they disappeared into the universe.

"Report, marshal." The First Marshal was looking through some documents in his manor when he heard someone calling him. He looked up, revealing his stern face.

"What's the matter?" The First Marshal replied indifferently. The person who came in was his adviser as well as one of his confidants.

The adviser quickly replied, "I just received a piece of news from the frontline command center. Base Nebula is being chased by a god-class operator. They're requesting us to send god-class operators to reinforce them. At the same time, the 23rd division is heading towards the Qingri wormhole too."

The First Marshal squinted his eyes. After a few seconds, he asked, "Where is Ling Xiao?"

The adviser felt an oppressing pressure coming from the First Marshal. He couldn't help but swallow his saliva. He calmed himself down before replying, "He should be rushing to the Qingri wormhole too."

The First Marshal's aura turned cold. The adviser felt as though he was standing in a frozen cold lake. He shuddered. Fortunately, the chill only lasted for a second. The adviser thought that it might be an illusion.

"I understand," The First Marshal said slowly. The adviser heard a soft sigh.

"Then…" The adviser carefully opened his mouth. He remembered the request from the frontline command center. Would the First Marshal agree to them?

"I'll make arrangements." The First Marshal waved his hand.

The adviser left the room silently.

Once the door closed, the First Marshal let go of his disguise.

"Ling Xiao, Ling Xiao… you disappoint me." The First Marshal closed his eyes in agony. He leaned against his chair helplessly.

He didn't set this trap but he knew briefly about it too. He chose to watch and see what happened because he wanted to dig out the ultimate spy who was hiding in the Federation. He wanted to uproot the entire spy organisation that was attempting to destroy the Federation.

At the same time, he wanted to test Ling Xiao too. He wanted to know if Ling Xiao had the ability to take over his position. The result was disappointing

He kept silent for a few seconds. Then, he slammed the table in front of him and pressed a button on his optical supercomputer. "Inform Master of the East to head towards the Qingri wormhole and reinforce the Lingtian Independent Army."

"Yes, marshal!" The optical supercomputer immediately sent the order to Master of the East.

After making the command, the First Marshal sat down slowly. He sighed. "Ling Xiao, this is the only thing I can do to help you. You'll have to rely on yourself from now on."

He wasn't satisfied with Ling Xiao but he was still someone whom he groomed personally. There was a complicated connection between them too. "I'm getting old."

He wasn't as ruthless and decisive as he was in the past. The First Marshal gave a bitter smile. He gave everything to his ambition and his nation. He could confidently and proudly say that he didn't disappoint himself or his nation.

The only people he let down was his family. Sometimes, he asked himself if he ever regretted his decision, but the final answer was always no.

As a patriotic man, he looked down on people like Ling Xiao. Ling Xiao was emotional and irresolute. If he was a normal senior of Ling Xiao, he would be proud of him. Ling Xiao loved his wife and was very loyal to her. He was a good father and a good husband. However, Ling Xiao was supposed to be his successor. He originally hid Ling Xiao's god-class operator status because god-class operators were unable to become a marshal.

He did everything he could to clear the path for Ling Xiao. Unfortunately, he fell extremely ill that year which allowed the spies a chance to scheme against Ling Xiao using the conflict between the three factions of the three great marshals. He tried his best to salvage the situation but the damage of losing Ling Xiao was already caused.

In the past, he always had the final say. However, after what had happened, the other two marshals' influence increased, and he wasn't able to do as he wished anymore. He took more than ten years to suppress the other two marshals again. When Ling Xiao came back alive, the factions of the other two marshals experienced huge turbulence. He made use of it to regain his authority, and his faction had the final say once again. The situation was getting better for them.

Just as the First Marshal felt that everything was going on the right track, he realised Ling Xiao's fatal weakness, his family and friends!

This was a taboo for people in power. A marshal represented the future and prosperity of a nation. An outstanding marshal must be rational and calm at all times. If he was heartless and cold-blooded, that would be the best as this would prevent him from making emotional decisions. Sadly, Ling Xiao didn't fit this criterion.

Thus, the First Marshal had to find another successor. He did groom another successor when Ling Xiao was 'dead' and he was satisfied with this new successor too. However, when Ling Xiao came back, he realised that Ling Xiao was much better at everything else, besides the fact that he was emotional. The First Marshal didn't want to give up on Ling Xiao so he was in a dilemma.

Chapter 1260 The Second Strongest!

If only the two of them could figuratively combine with each other. Ling Xiao would provide his skills and intelligence while the other successor candidate would contribute his heartless and ruthless personality, mixing the both of them would create the greatest marshal the Federation had yet to see.

Even with all the positives of Ling Xiao, the First Marshal logically still felt that the other successor candidate was more suitable to inherit his throne. But, if he took his emotions into account, he wished that Ling Xiao would take over his position. After all of his deliberation, the First Marshal decided to give Ling Xiao another chance.

The First Marshal believed that Ling Xiao was clearly aware of the trap. If he would make the right decision as the commander-in-chief, the First Marshal would have a reason to push Ling Xiao to a higher position when he returned.

The rule that a god-class operator couldn't be a marshal could be ignored during an intergalactic war.

Would he choose his nation or his family? The First Marshal wanted Ling Xiao to make his own decision, and his choice would affect the First Marshal's decision.

While everyone was sending in the reinforcements, Ling Xiao had already started fighting with his four enemies.

Four people? Really?

It's hard to believe, right? However, it was true. Ling Xiao had started fighting with the four god-class operators. However, the four god-class operators didn't surround him simultaneously. Ling Xiao controlled two god-class operators with his long-range attacks while fending off the other two in close combat.

Ling Xiao held a sword in one hand and a beam gun in the other. He performed Ghost Walk under the oppression of two god-class operators. Just as he was about to get hit by his opponent, he would miraculously evade the hit. Not only that, he was still able to snipe the other two god-class operators during this heated battle. With the help of his beam gun and the twelve wings behind him, he managed to keep two god-class operators a few kilometres away from him.

"This is our general. This is the fire phoenix. Oh my god. He is so amazing!" Luo Lang and Xie Yi watched Ling Xiao with their mouths wide open. They were dumbfounded.

At first, they thought that Ling Xiao would have a hard time handling four god-class mecha masters. However, when the battle started, he was able to maintain his position while not getting suppressed by his opponents. His Dance of Death was beautiful and elegant. Xie Yi and Luo Lang were filled with respect for General Ling Xiao.

Li Lanfeng looked at Ling Xiao in admiration too. But, he wasn't as flabbergasted as Xie Yi and Luo Lang. Since Ling Lan wasn't the one fighting, he was still able to maintain his composure. After watching Ling Xiao for some time, he received some epiphany.

"Ling Lan, is that Ghost Walk?" Li Lanfeng asked in the team channel.

Ling Lan had gulped a bottle of recovery agent so she was feeling much better. The most painful moment had passed. She replied in a low voice, "Yes. The foundation of his movements is based on Ghost Walk. Everyone has different ways of executing it. My father's Ghost Walk is on another level."

move

This was how powerful her father was. He had only watched her execute Ghost Walk once but he could already replicate it. After a few years, his father had turned the weird and strange Ghost Walk into an enchanting and elegant dance. It was hard for people to shift their eyes away from him.

Li Lanfeng didn't listen to Ling Lan's reply. Instead, he noticed her hoarse voice. "You're hurt."

This wasn't a question. It was a statement. Li Lanfeng's mind was all on Ling Lan so he would notice any slight change in her condition.

"There'll always be a backlash when you jump levels in operation. Don't worry. I've already drank the medication Shiyu gave me. I'm fine now." Ling Lan brushed away the issue of his injury. She didn't want her comrades to worry.

Li Lanfeng stopped himself from saying too much. He couldn't help her even if he was concerned. He just hoped that Ling Lan was saying the truth.

'I am still not strong enough!' Li Lanfeng clenched his fist tightly. He felt he was a disgrace. Why couldn't he help Ling Lan every time he needed help? If he…

Li Lanfeng looked at the powerful man who was fending off four god-class operators. If he was able to be as strong as Ling Xiao one day, he would be able to protect Ling Lan.

'In the past, I wanted to stand at the peak because I wanted to change my fate. Now, I want to climb to the top for Rabbit's sake. I may not be able to be the strongest because Rabbit will be taking that position so I'll just settle as the second strongest!'

At this time, the 23rd division had already arrived in the Puqi planetary sector. Once they passed this planetary sector, they would arrive in Qingri's planetary sector.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

An urgent alarm was heard from the starship up front.

All the following starships activated their battle mode. The mecha operators quickly rushed to the mecha hold and boarded their mechas. They were ready to fight at any moment.

Once they were ready, they saw a huge fleet moving slowly towards them.

"It's the Hejia Army." All the soldiers from the Federation memorized the totems of the nine divisions of Twilight. Thus, they knew who this cherry blossom demon logo represented.

The Hejia Army had never appeared since the start of the war but they were here now. As the temporary commander of the 23rd division, He Xuyang felt his heart dropping to the pits of his stomach. He had a bad feeling.

"Look to the left. There's another fleet." While everyone was surprised by the appearance of the Hejia Army, another fleet had appeared on their left.

"It's the Zaoyi Army." This was another piece of bad news. This was another intergalactic division of Twilight. Their moment had exposed themselves, they got surrounded by two armies. This was undeniably the most dangerous battle the 23rd division would be facing ever since the start of the war. One mistake, and the entire 23rd division would be annihilated.

He Xuyang's heart pounded furiously. He could feel a mountainload of pressure on his shoulders. Cold sweat appeared on his forehead instantly.

Two armies were enough to stress him out. He wondered how their general was able to cope with the pressure when he led them into Twilight's planetary sector. Their general had to resist the pressure of being hunted down by the entire Twilight military.

He Xuyang's respect for Ling Xiao even more now. In the past, he wasn't worried at all when he went into Twilight's planetary sector with his general. He felt as if he was taking a stroll at home if Ling Xiao was beside him. Now, without Ling Xiao, he couldn't even feel more naked.