By the time Feng Qi, Mu Qing, and the other core combat forces rushed back to Star City, the battle between Tian Shu and the Silver Moon Clan had already ended.
They found Tian Shu's lifeless body on a hillside in the western district of Star City.
His body, covered in cracks, lay quietly among the flowers and grass, emanating a faint glow under the sunlight.
Even though they had not personally witnessed the battle, Feng Qi and everyone present could easily imagine the brutality of the fight.
From a historical standpoint, the Silver Moon Clan had never been weak.
In fact, when they first descended, they were even stronger than the Mist Lord who controlled Tiger Soul Research Institute.
Information gathered across multiple timelines confirmed this fact.
At that time, the Mist Lord was still in its early stages, and the forces it commanded were limited to several battle squads under Tiger Soul Research Institute. Meanwhile, the Silver Moon Clan was an enormous domain species with a well-established structure.
Their policies also reflected their strength.
Unlike the Shadow Forces, the Psionic Race, or the Mist Lord, who all initially chose a strategy of infiltration—gradually seizing control of human institutions before expanding—the Silver Moon Clan took an entirely different approach.
They directly challenged an entire city from the outset.
They had no intention of taking a slow and cautious path.
Their goal was aggressive and absolute—to seize control of Star City and use it as a base for expansion and growth.
This wasn't mere blind arrogance.
History had proven that, had it not been for Suction Cup's intervention, Star City's fate would have been sealed.
Even Suction Cup, inheriting a portion of peak Mu Qing's power, had suffered severe injuries in that battle. The crimson rune crystal embedded in its body had shattered completely, nearly costing it its life.
The Silver Moon Clan was a race rarely mentioned in history, yet their strength was undeniable.
Seeing Tian Shu's shattered body, Feng Qi clenched his fists.
He had believed that everything on this battlefront was within his control. The intelligence gathered across multiple timelines should have been enough to guide him through this war.
But he had not anticipated this unexpected crisis.
If not for Tian Shu's intervention, all their efforts up to this point would have been in vain.
Pain filled his heart as he slowly approached Tian Shu's body, crouching down to pick him up.
He did not know much about Tian Shu.
All he knew was that Tian Shu had once been a legend on the Path of Ascension.
For three hundred years, he had guarded the 32nd Main Path of Ascension alone, deterring countless domain forces. His story, even after hundreds of years, was still passed down in whispers.
Lü Yue had confirmed this much.
But to the people of the human world, Tian Shu was an unknown warrior.
His name was not recorded in history. No one knew of his sacrifices.
Unlike the honored souls resting in the Heroes' Cemetery, Tian Shu had no commemorative holidays, no offerings of flowers or wine. He had only loneliness, endless battles, and an unwavering duty.
All for the price of a single lollipop.
That was the trade he had made—a lifetime of battle in exchange for humanity's future.
He had fought as an unsung protector.
He was the very definition of an unsung hero.
Feng Qi still remembered their first meeting, standing in front of Tian Shu's prison cell.
He had asked him if he had ever thought about giving up.
He could still recall Tian Shu's smiling response:
"Of course, I've thought about it. But that's all it ever was—a thought. Because behind the 32nd Path that I guard… is home."
The word home seemed so simple, yet it carried the weight of a mountain in the hearts of those who walked the Path of Ascension.
It was a place they longed to return to but knew they never could.
Tian Shu had returned, but not in the way he had hoped.
For the sake of humanity's safety, he had sealed himself away, creating his own prison in the darkness underground.
Loneliness had defined his entire existence.
But he had not failed Mu Yan's request.
He had fought until the last ember of life burned out.
And once again, he had defended the home behind him.
Feng Qi reached out, gently brushing Tian Shu's eyes shut.
Then, carrying him in his arms, he walked down the hillside.
Mu Qing and the others followed in silence.
Feng Qi carried Tian Shu to the Heroes' Cemetery.
That was where he would be laid to rest.
In the distance, the towering Heroes' Monument stood like a sword buried in the earth, with only its hilt remaining aboveground.
Feng Qi recalled a question he had once asked as a child:
"Why is the Heroes' Monument shaped like the hilt of a sword buried in the ground?"
Old Wang had ruffled his hair and answered:
"Because Star City is the sword's sheath. And the sheath is the gentlest resting place for a blade."
Today, another blade had returned home.
And now, his warrior's soul would rest within the sheath.
Tian Shu's body was cremated, and his ashes were placed in a new grave within the Heroes' Cemetery.
Feng Qi and his companions placed flowers before the headstone.
As he turned away, his gaze grew cold.
The Silver Moon Clan had infiltrated the Energy Research Institute.
That much was now certain.
It was time to settle the debt.
Exiting the Heroes' Cemetery, they found the streets of Star City in chaos.
Vehicles were scattered haphazardly across the roads.
The city's transportation system had come to a halt.
Wireless charging systems were embedded beneath the roads, powering the city's maglev and electric vehicles.
Now, with the power grid down, the entire system had collapsed.
The energy supply in the western district of Star City had been cut off, causing the city's transportation system to come to a standstill within a short period.
With no restored power, traffic remained paralyzed.
This was precisely why the energy research institutes in Star City's western district fell under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Council of Star City.
Energy was the lifeline of a city.
Except for specialized institutions like Tiger Soul Research Institute and Crimson Research Institute, which had their own independent internal energy reserves, the operation of all city facilities depended on the energy provided by these research institutes.
At this moment, the streets were filled with confused residents, their faces reflecting their uncertainty.
They had no idea that a terrifying catastrophe had nearly swept past them.
Behind the scenes, someone had chosen to bear the weight of the battle, ensuring that they could once again live in peace.
Pushing through the congested streets, Feng Qi led Mu Qing and the others toward the western district of Star City.
Tian Shu had successfully fended off the Silver Moon Clan's invasion, but the western district was still under the control of the Silver Moon Clan's vanguard forces. He had to deal with them as quickly as possible to restore normalcy to the city's operations.
More importantly, ensuring a steady supply chain for the soldiers deployed on the warfront was crucial.
With that thought, Feng Qi quickened his pace.
Mu Qing and the others followed without hesitation.
After several hours of travel, Feng Qi arrived at the western district.
Looking up at the sky, countless energy fragments cascaded down like raindrops as the space transmission array disintegrated.
When they reached the entrance of the Energy Research Institute, Feng Qi and his team walked straight inside.
The entire research facility was in chaos. Many of the researchers who had been unknowingly used as pawns stared blankly at the fading remnants of the space transmission array in the sky, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Inside the control center, a slowly dissipating formation stood at the center, with numerous energy supply lines connected to it.
Clearly, the massive space transmission array in the sky had siphoned energy from the city's power grid to sustain itself.
At this moment, the control center was completely devoid of any Silver Moon Clan members.
After some effort, Feng Qi and the others reconnected the energy supply lines to their original positions.
However, they soon encountered a new problem.
Even though the connections were restored, a command from the main control terminal was required to resume energy transmission.
Without Yin Ling's access credentials, Feng Qi had no way to authorize the system.
He immediately contacted the director of Tiger Soul Research Institute.
After a brief discussion, Feng Qi found a solution.
He operated the control panel, exiting the permission authentication screen and accessing the Star City Database.
Entering his personal authorization code, a notification immediately popped up, granting him the highest level of access.
As Tiger Soul's director had explained, Feng Qi held supreme authorization rights, surpassing even Yin Ling's access.
By logging in with his credentials, he could seize full control of the energy system.
The Supreme Council of Star City had implemented this failsafe precisely for emergency situations.
As a high-tier clearance holder in Star City, Feng Qi had the authority to override permissions from other departments when necessary.
Navigating back to the energy distribution interface, he saw a digital map of Star City.
It was covered in red, indicating a total energy supply failure.
Without hesitation, he pressed the power restoration button.
Immediately, the map displayed shifting patterns of light as energy pulses spread outward, turning large sections of the city from red to green.
Soon, the entire energy grid controlled by the Energy Research Institute was restored.
However, large portions of the city remained marked in red.
These areas were still without power.
Ensuring a complete energy restoration took priority over tracking down the Silver Moon Clan's remaining forces.
The Energy Research Institute was responsible for the northwest sector's energy supply, but other regions were under the jurisdiction of different institutions, such as the Star Energy Research Institute and the Flame Research Institute.
Clearly, these energy research facilities had also fallen under the control of the Silver Moon Clan.
Feng Qi led Mu Qing and the others toward the nearest energy research facility.
After an entire morning of relentless effort, Star City's energy grid was fully restored.
The map on the control panel now showed only green—every district was back online.
With the city's power supply restored, everything was running as normal again.
However, despite searching every energy research institute in the western district, Feng Qi did not find Yin Ling or any other Silver Moon Clan vanguard forces.
He had anticipated this outcome.
With the Silver Moon Clan's forces utterly crushed, their scattered vanguard forces had no reason to remain in Star City.
Their confidence in hiding among humans had stemmed from the belief that their main force would eventually descend.
But now that the Silver Moon Clan was annihilated, their so-called "assimilated agents" were no longer backed by anything.
On their own, they lacked the strength to control Star City.
Escape was their only option.
Feng Qi could already predict their fate.
Without the support of the Silver Moon Clan, these fleeing vanguard forces were no better than stray dogs.
All they could do now was run and hide.
Most likely, they would settle in other cities and become part of the local Domain Weak Tribe Alliance.
Of course, there was also the possibility that they would follow a path similar to Old Mist—choosing to grow independently, struggle for survival, and eventually establish themselves as a dominant force.
But that possibility was slim.
Many fallen domain species had attempted to rise again, but very few, like Old Mist, had succeeded in rebuilding from nothing after losing their people and eventually becoming a significant power.
At least among the domain creatures he had encountered, only Old Mist had managed to do it.
The fate of most domain weak tribes was to be swallowed by the relentless tide of history, reduced to nothing more than an unnoticed pile of dust in the annals of time.
After several days of searching, Feng Qi decided to abandon the hunt for the remaining Silver Moon Clan warriors within Star City.
At this point, most of Star City's combat forces had already been dispatched.
The remaining security personnel were limited in number, making a full-scale citywide search impossible.
More importantly, the Silver Moon Clan had completely lost its opportunity to turn the tide.
Just like in the past, they had been utterly crushed.
The remaining Silver Moon Clan members were now exposed—especially Yin Ling, who could never return to the Energy Research Institute.
Even if they continued hiding within Star City, they no longer posed any real threat to his battle plan.
As for how to deal with Yin Ling, that was a decision for his main timeline counterpart. It was no longer something he needed to worry about.
One more critical point remained.
The Domain Weak Tribe Alliance in Star City was still under his control.
Yin Ling, who had previously issued an assassination order against him, had likely already realized this.
To be able to orchestrate a near-flawless plan against Star City, one that almost guaranteed success, Yin Ling was far from incompetent—she was, in fact, highly intelligent.
What she hadn't anticipated was the presence of Suction Cup and Tian Shu.
Otherwise, the Silver Moon Clan would have undoubtedly succeeded in capturing Star City, securing an overwhelming advantage from the very start.
At this moment, Feng Qi was certain that Yin Ling had already fled the city.
Even if she intended to integrate into a Domain Weak Tribe Alliance, she would choose a different city. Staying in Star City offered nothing but danger—no opportunities, only risk.
After thoroughly analyzing the current situation in Star City, Feng Qi gathered the remaining high-ranking officials and convened the Supreme Council of Star City.
The meeting's primary agenda was to discuss the recent crisis, but the majority of the discussion revolved around the ongoing expedition.
Logistics, supply chains, energy distribution—every detail needed to be addressed.
To prevent future disruptions, Feng Qi proposed that each department send three senior administrators to the western district of Star City to oversee and manage the energy institutions there. These personnel would also monitor each other to ensure stability.
The meeting lasted for three hours.
Once it concluded, Feng Qi requested a transport aircraft from the director of Tiger Soul Research Institute.
The unexpected crisis in Star City had put the army's advance on hold. The deployed warriors had been forced to stop and camp in the dense forests 230 kilometers northeast of the city.
Now that the crisis had been resolved, it was time to push the battle forward again.
Leaving the meeting room, Feng Qi, along with Mu Qing and the others, returned to Tiger Soul Research Institute.
Their next destination remained unchanged—Future City.
By the time they arrived, the transport aircraft was already prepared.
After bidding farewell to the director of Tiger Soul Research Institute, Feng Qi led Mu Qing and the others toward the flight zone within the base.
Before boarding, he took out his communicator and entered a specific code.
After a brief wait, the call connected, and a familiar voice came through.
"What's wrong?"
"Uncle Gu, where are you guys now?" Feng Qi asked immediately.
"We're in Star City. We've been following you this whole time."
On the other end of the line was Gu Ke, the leader of the Brain Recovery Squad.
"Come to Tiger Soul Research Institute. Let's take the transport together," Feng Qi suggested.
"No need. We have our own transportation. Just carry on as planned; you don't need to worry about us."
After a brief exchange, Gu Ke declined the offer, and Feng Qi reluctantly ended the call.
Thinking about it, he couldn't help but feel sympathy for Gu Ke and his team.
In every timeline, they had to track his location, following him everywhere—just waiting for the moment of his death so they could recover his brain.
But this battle timeline was different.
The battlefield was filled with danger, and their tracking device could only pinpoint a general area. If he died, retrieving his head amidst the mountains of corpses would be anything but easy.
Feng Qi turned to look at Mu Qing.
If anything happened, she was likely the only one capable of ensuring his head made it back to Crimson Research Institute.
As if sensing his gaze, Mu Qing turned toward him, a hint of confusion flickering in her eyes.
But Feng Qi hesitated.
If he brought up this matter with Mu Qing, she might not be able to accept it.
Through Mu Qing's diary, he knew exactly how she felt about him.
Not quite family, yet closer than family.
Forcing her to carry his severed head across treacherous battlefields—that would be nothing short of psychological torment.
After a moment of hesitation, he turned to Mu Qing and spoke in a careful tone.
"Jie, I have a request."
Seeing the uncertainty on Feng Qi's face, Mu Qing instinctively shook her head, but then, after a brief hesitation, she nodded.
"Alright."