Chapter 3047: Interception

When Jiang Dongjian arrived, the Infinity Empire’s Fifth Prince Shang Cheng and Ninth Princess Shang An’an arrived as well.

General Fei Yan had never imagined that both a prince and a princess would come to look at this invasion.

“General Fei Yan, at your service,” he introduced with a hasty bow to the prince and princess.

Prince Shang Cheng smiled. “Rise, General Fei Yan. There’s no need for such formalities.”

Fei Yan rose back up. “Your Highness, what brings you here?”

“We are simply accompanying Brother Jiang on his training journey. We hope to witness his heroic deeds,” Shang Cheng replied.

Fei Yan nodded. While not much was said, this only made the general even warier of Jiang Dongjian. Not only was the young man an incredible mecha pilot, but he also had the support of the imperial family members. He was guaranteed to one day hold a high position in the Infinity Empire.

Prince Shang Cheng was known for his kindness and humility, but those who actually knew him understood that his goal was the throne, and he openly displayed his ambitions.

His mecha was called Imperial City, which perfectly demonstrated his aspirations.

If the person piloting the Imperial City was not an emperor, then who was?

The prince was polite and friendly towards Fei Yan and most others, but he was frigid towards his older brother, Shang Tianzong. Shang Cheng made no attempt to hide his desire for the throne.

Princess Shang An’an was regarded as the most beautiful woman in the Infinity Empire. There was no denying that she was breathtaking, and she was also the emperor’s favorite daughter. She was incredibly talented, and could pilot a nine-ring mecha, just like Shang Cheng. She truly was the pride of the empire.

Fei Yan’s gaze swept over the three youths, and he immediately noticed the flicker of passion that appeared in Jiang Dongjian’s eyes when he looked at Shang An’an.

Could he be harboring ambitions of marrying the Ninth Princess?

It was not impossible, given Jiang Dongjian’s qualifications and the fact that he would likely pilot an eleven or twelve-ring mecha in the future.

He would become one of the guardian pillars of the Infinity Empire.

“General Fei Yan, could you provide us with a briefing on this particular universe?” Shang An’an asked. Her voice was as clear as flowing water.

Once Fei Yan shared a bit of information, Jiang Dongjian commented in a cool tone, “It’s merely a beast with eleven-ring defenses. I can handle it. Let’s go.”

Fei Yan warned the youth, “The beast’s defenses are outstanding. You need to be careful.”

The general’s primary concern was not the jiao’s strength, but the possibility that there were even more powerful opponents still hidden in this universe. Fei Yan kept his suspicions to himself, as he wanted to avoid any severe consequences. He was willing to face this level of risk for the chance to save his son, but the consequences of Jiang Dongjian dying because Fei Yan failed to disclose his suspicions would be catastrophic.

Jiang Dongjian reassured the general. “You worry too much, General. It’s just a beast. No matter how impressive its defenses are, it can’t possibly withstand my Sublime Sword.”

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

With no way to properly express his concerns, Fei Yan simply stated, “I will cover you from the side.”

Jiang Dongjian waved a hand dismissively. “Lead the way.”

Shang Cheng laughed happily. “I’ve admired the power of your Sublime Sword for a long time, Brother Jiang, and now I’ll finally get to see it. Sister, you should also be quite excited.”

Her lips curved upwards beautifully as Shang An’an replied, “Of course.”

Eagerness lit up Jiang Dongjian’s eyes, and he quickened his pace. He was eager to impress Shang An’an.

After nearly a month of peace, there was an abrupt change in the Astral Beast Domain.

The jiao looked up as several mechas emerged from the spatial rift. In addition to Fei Yan’s Blue Mountain mecha, there was another machine that instantly drew the jiao’s attention. The mecha looked like a collection of swords. This was Jiang Dongjian’s mecha, which was known as the Sublime Sword.

It was this mecha which ensured Jiang Dongjian’s place as one of the best ten-ring mecha pilots, and it also marked him as a future guardian of the Infinity Empire.

The mecha was clearly designed for battle.

Additionally, there were two other impressive mechas present. One was Shang Cheng’s Emperor’s City, which was a majestic golden color, and the other was Shang An’an’s Angel.

The Angel mecha was white, and its appearance was more beautiful and elegant than any other mecha’s so far.

Lu Yin immediately noticed the arrival of the four mechas, and he used Heaven’s Sight to observe the four pilots.

He was briefly taken off guard by Shang An’an’s beauty, but that was only a minor surprise. He had seen many beautiful women before.

His focus shifted over to the unusual design of the Sublime Sword.

After capturing a few mechas, they had been disassembled by the Technocracy and carefully studied. It had been discovered that the mechas were capable of both offense and defense, but the exact balance of the two was adjusted according to the pilot’s strength.

Fei Sui’s Blue Wind was known for its speed, while Bu Qing’s Ripple was capable of extreme precision. No matter how personalized the mechas might be, each one was equipped with adequate defensive and offensive measures.

However, there was one mecha that stood out as an exception. It appeared to be completely defenseless, and it was basically a giant blade.

...

The jiao rose up in outer space, letting out a furious roar as it brandished its fangs and claws in a threatening manner.

Prince Shang Cheng was impressed. “It’s a truly majestic beast. If we could capture it to serve as a mount, my chances of securing the throne would increase substantially.”

Princess Shang An’an cringed slightly. “Brother, at least show a little restraint. You shouldn’t be so blunt.”

Shang Cheng was unfazed. “Everyone in the Infinity Empire knows that I am striving for the throne. There’s no reason to hold back.”

As they spoke, Jiang Dongjian charged forward with his Sublime Sword.

The Sublime Sword, true to its name, acted as a sharp blade under Jiang’s control, and it immediately slashed at the jiao.

The beast grew wary, and it brought up its claws to block the attack.

A deafening impact twisted the nearby area before the void shattered so completely that it could not even reform.

Jiang Dongjian grew solemn. While his first attack had only been a probing one, the creature remained completely unscathed. Fei Yan had been right; the beast possessed truly terrifying defenses worthy of an eleven-ring beast.

Excitement lit up Jiang Dongjian’s eyes. This was the perfect opportunity. If the beast were just a common ten-ring beast, defeating it would not be enough to catch the ninth princess’s attention. Only by defeating an eleven-ring creature could Jiang Dongjian hope to stand out and gain the qualifications to propose a marriage to her father.

At this thought, the pilot transformed his mecha into a single massive sword that swung at the jiao.

The jiao glared menacingly while brandishing its fangs and claws. However, no one was intimidated by its display at this point in time, and all eyes were glued to Jiang Dongjian as he maneuvered his Sublime Sword as smoothly as a giant using a battle technique.

Fei Yan was quite impressed. “Out of everyone in the entire Infinity Empire, not even the five guardians can control the Sublime Sword better than Jiang Dongjian. The mecha suits him perfectly.”

Princess Shang An’an smiled. “The Sublime Sword was specifically crafted for Jiang Dongjian. He will one day become the empire’s sixth guardian.”

Prince Shang Cheng gave Shang An’an a pleading look devoid of all dignity. “Sister, could you help convince Jiang Dongjian to join me? With his support, my chances of winning the throne would spike.”

Shang An’an calmly replied, “I refuse to participate in the struggle for the throne. If you want to persuade him, you need to do it yourself.”

Shang Cheng sighed. “While I hate to admit it, Shang Tianzong is more charismatic than me. If you won’t help me, Jiang Dongjian will most likely be convinced to join Shang Tianzong. Sister, are you willing to see me defeated by him?”

Shang An’an frowned and looked over at Shang Cheng. “Big brother won’t do anything to harm you. You’re overthinking things.”

Shang Cheng shook his head. “You’re being naive.”

As they spoke, the battle in outer space intensified.

Fei Yan felt that something was amiss. This battle was supposed to be at least somewhat different from the one that he had fought, but despite the Sublime Sword’s unparalleled offensive might, the attacks were still unable to breach the jiao’s defenses. There was practically no difference from when Feu Yan had faced the creature.

This would not do. Before the others realized anything, Fei Yan needed to leave to rescue Fei Sui and the Blue Wind. It looked like Jiang Dongjian would not be able to handle the jiao on his own, and Fei Yan might need to help the youth soon. If that happened, he would have no chance to attempt a rescue.

“Your Highnesses, we still have not been able to explore this universe at all, as we have not been able to send out any of our mechanical scouts. I intend to take a look myself,” Fei Yan stated.

Shang Cheng responded nonchalantly, “Are you heading out to rescue your son? That’s only natural, so go ahead.”

Fei Yan’s expression changed. The prince was too blunt with his words.

Shang An’an was a bit milder. “General Fei Yan, you may proceed with your rescue attempt, but please don’t forget to scout around. Also, since Jiang Dongjian might not be able to defeat this creature, you need to hurry back.”

Fei Yan stared at Shang Cheng and Shang An’an for a moment. “I understand.”

He had underestimated the prince and princess. They had already seen that Jiang Dongjian was unable to defeat the jiao, and yet they still allowed Fei Yan to leave. It was no wonder that, in the struggle for the throne, only the eldest prince, Shang Tianzong, and Prince Shang Cheng stood out from the rest.

As for the ninth princess, she was equally astute.

Fei Yan piloted his Blue Mountain into the distance, following the direction that Bu Qing and the others had been taken by the jiao after they were captured. He was headed straight for Lu Yin.

Lu Yin arched a brow. It was clear they were headed towards him, and that would not do at all.

He immediately ordered the jiao to intercept the blue mecha.

The jiao swept the Sublime Sword aside with a claw and then spread its massive wings. It took off after Blue Mountain. The jiao was not slow, and Blue Mountain was unable to break away.

Fei Yan was startled, and he tried to increase his speed, but the jiao raised its sharp claws and slashed down, slicing through the void in multiple places as the attack shot towards Blue Mountain.

There was no choice but to turn the mecha around and defend against the attack.

Behind the jiao, Jiang Dongjian had turned grim. Did the creature actually intend to face off against both mechas at once?

As it turned out, the jiao was capable of just that.

Neither Blue Mountain nor Sublime Sword were able to harm the jiao at all. While it was clear that the beast had no intelligence, its hide was so tough that even Forgotten Ruins God had been impressed. While the jiao frequently fled from battles and would run away from powerful opponents, the only ones who could frighten the jiao were sequence powerhouses.

Neither of the two mechas could compare to Xia Shenji, even if Sublime Sword was slightly stronger than Blue Mountain. Even together, the mechas could not defeat the jiao.

All alone, the jiao was holding back two mechas, which caused Shang An’an and the others watching to frown.

“It appears that we still can’t defeat the beast. We need to either call for reinforcements or abandon this particular invasion,” Shang An’an said.

Shang Cheng felt frustrated. “Calling for reinforcements isn’t ideal. The empire is currently fighting on five different battlefields, and everyone except for the empire’s guardians has been deployed. The guardians defend the empire itself, so we can’t send them out. Even if we request reinforcements, there’s no one who can help here.”

“If Eldest Brother can finish his campaign, he might be able to provide support,” Shang An’an murmured to herself.

Shang Cheng rolled his eyes. “I’d rather abandon this universe entirely.”

Fei Yan and Jiang Dongjian were able to hear the entire conversation, as the pilots were communicating through a channel that was connected to the mechas.