Chapter 174: Ice flame phoenix race

Victor accelerated through the silent void, his body cutting a swift and imperceptible trajectory across the absolute darkness. The cosmic energy in this inner core region was vastly denser and more refined than anything present in the outer star sectors, pulsating with ancient, underlying laws that seemed to bend and warp around his very presence. Yet, despite the richness of the surrounding atmosphere, there was nothing around them for light-years except empty space.

"Master, that galaxy ahead has remarkably strong life signs. It looks like an ancient race has established its root territory there," Astrion noted, his small form shifting slightly on Victor’s shoulder as his crimson eyes reflected the distant glow of a massive, swirling spiral galaxy.

"Is it possible to determine from here if the ancient dragon race resides in that specific system?" Victor asked, maintaining his steady momentum without slowing down.

"No, master. To discern that level of detail from this distance, I would have to expand my divine sense across the entire sector. Doing so would instantly reveal our presence to every high-tier entity nearby. Of course, hiding is not strictly necessary. If it comes to a confrontation, I can handle five immortals at once without much trouble," Astrion replied, his tone dripping with casual pride.

"There is no need to make a scene just yet. Let us gather information first," Victor answered calmly, his mind calculating their options as he adjusted his trajectory toward the distant stellar cluster.

With a sudden burst of speed, he closed the distance. From a light-year away, the swirling galaxy appeared like a magnificent tapestry of burning starlight, but as he drew closer, the scale became truly overwhelming. Victor felt like a mere speck of cosmic dust drifting toward a colossal wheel of fire.

After navigating past several empty star clusters, they selected a specific star system near the outer ring where the density of powerful life signatures was noticeably lower than in the central sectors.

Soon, the duo arrived at the outer perimeter of the system. A vast, shimmering translucent curtain wrapped around the entire solar boundary, humming with intricate defensive formations that naturally deflected space and cosmic radiation.

"Master, this is also a very high tier barrier, though it is nowhere near as formidable as the cosmic wall we just breached. Give me a brief moment. I will break through it in no time," Astrion said.

Before Victor could respond, a second small head materialized right beside the first on Astrion’s shoulders. The four crimson eyes gleamed simultaneously with an eerie dark red glow. Spatial ripples wrapped around both of them, and in the next millisecond, they vanished from the exterior space and reappeared smoothly inside the system, leaving the defensive array completely undisturbed.

"You are quite capable when you want to be," Victor said, giving the small creature a subtle thumbs up.

"Haha, thank you, thank you. There is no need to become my devout fan just yet. You can ask for an autograph later if you would like," Astrion said, adopting a strangely serious tone.

Victor’s mouth twitched slightly at the absurd remark.

"An autograph? There is no way I am going to take an autograph from a forever single dude, unlike myself who has a beautiful wife waiting at home," Victor said with a faint smirk.

"Master, you truly know how to hurt my feelings. I will definitely find a suitable wife one of these days," Astrion huffed, turning his dual heads away in dramatic fashion.

"Right, tell me when that actually happens. For now, let us focus on our surroundings," Victor replied as he surveyed the inner system.

The system was dominated by an enormous solar star that radiated overwhelming thermal energy across its territory. Orbiting this massive star were fifteen distinct planets, every single one of them teeming with life and harboring massive civilizations. Choosing the nearest inhabited world, Victor glided down through the high atmosphere and landed quietly within a dense, ancient forest.

The trees here towered thousands of feet into the sky, their leaves shimmering with traces of elemental power. Victor checked his surroundings and immediately moved toward the direction of the nearest concentration of energy, where civilization was built.

It did not take him long to reach the outskirts of a grand, sprawling metropolis. The architecture was towering and magnificent, constructed from specialized thermal stone and crystalline materials that naturally gathered fiery energy from the sky.

As Victor observed the inhabitants walking through the broad streets, he quickly identified their heritage. They belonged to the legendary Phoenix race.

The people of this ancient race were extraordinarily gifted by nature. Every individual was born directly at the World realm, possessing a fully formed and powerful inner world within their bodies from the moment of their birth. More importantly, as Victor examined their aura, he recognized the underlying biological signature immediately. The energy radiating from these citizens shared the exact same fundamental characteristics as the mysterious bloodline he had refined and absorbed back during his earlier cultivation stages.

"So what I refined back then was actually a pure ancient phoenix bloodline. Where on earth did that old demonic dragon manage to find such a thing? I should probably visit that creature again sometime in the future," Victor muttered to himself under his breath.

He remained completely concealed under Astrion’s spatial shroud. To the ordinary citizens walking along the broad avenues, Victor was entirely invisible and intangible, passing through the crowded streets without disturbing even a single speck of dust.

As Victor walked deeper into the city, he noticed an unusual underlying tension in the air. Thousands of heavily armored guards were marching toward central staging grounds, and merchants were hurriedly closing their storefronts.

"Are they actively getting prepared for a large scale conflict?" Victor muttered, observing the rapid movement of armed forces.

Right at that moment, the furious roar of a woman echoed from a nearby architectural balcony, drawing his attention.

"How dare those arrogant light flame phoenixes kidnap our young lady! We are going to tear their domain apart for this insult!" two female phoenixes standing in human form shouted, their faces flushed with intense anger.

The second female phoenix sighed, her tone shifting to one of obvious anxiety. "But our primary ancestor is currently away attending to core matters, while their ancestor is fully available in their sector. What can we possibly do if their high ancestor chooses to directly interfere in the battle?"

"Immortals cannot interfere in mortal domain disputes so easily. Even they have strict cosmic rules and ancient treaties they must follow," the first female insisted, though her hands trembled slightly.

"So they are preparing for an all out civil war between factions," Victor muttered, analyzing the conversation in an instant. "It seems the phoenix race is divided into different distinct bloodline branches, and they are certainly not very united under a single ruler."

"Master, what do you plan to do next?" Astrion asked from his shoulder, his red eyes darting around the city streets.

"Let us watch the battle unfold first. If the opportunity presents itself, perhaps I will offer these ice flame phoenixes a bit of assistance, as I technically owe their bloodline a small debt of gratitude for the strength it granted me in the past," Victor muttered calmly.

Victor continued walking toward the broad grand plaza situated at the absolute center of the city. The concentration of powerful experts grew significantly dense as he advanced deeper. The guards stationed along the outer perimeter were merely low tier experts, but as he approached the inner keep, he began to spot genuine experts at the galactic realm, their body structures radiating staggering elemental pressure.

In the center of the giant stone plaza stood rows upon rows of fully armed warriors, standing in immaculate military formation before a massive, hovering warship. The vessel spanned several miles in length, carved from dark metallic ore and etched with deep red defensive runes that hummed with terrifying spatial energy.

Standing atop the primary loading ramp of the warship was a formidable commander whose aura clearly belonged to the universal rank. The commander looked down at the thousands of assembled soldiers with a fierce, burning expression.

"We are going to depart immediately to rendezvous with supreme commander Iliana’s primary fleet! From there, we will march directly toward those bastards and reclaim our honor!" the commander roared, his voice carrying immense sonic pressure that echoed across the entire central district.

A unified, thunderous roar erupted from the ranks of soldiers below, shaking the very ground beneath the city. Without losing any time, the massive army began boarding the warship in disciplined streams.

What none of these elite warriors realized was that as the final ranks marched through the grand boarding entrance, a human cultivator and a mysterious spatial astral creature casually stepped right past the heavy guards and boarded the warship alongside them.

Once inside, Victor casually walked past the busy corridor filled with bustling soldiers and found a quiet, elevated corner near the upper deck overlook. He leaned back against the metallic wall, folding his arms as he watched the grand scale military movements unfold before his eyes.

The high heavy blast doors of the grand warship slowly slid shut with a deep mechanical thud, sealing off the interior from the surrounding atmospheric pressure of the planet. Heavy crimson runes along the primary hull flared to life in rapid succession, throwing off waves of intense thermal discharge that forced the surrounding ground crew on the plaza back several hundred paces.

With a powerful hum that vibrated straight through the metallic deck plating, the massive vessel lifted effortlessly from the stone launching pad. It broke through the cloud layers in a matter of seconds, piercing the planet’s upper atmosphere and smoothly accelerating into the vast, open vacuum of the local star system.