Chapter 272 - 271: Soul Harvest

"The Alliance wants to turn the Imperial Capital Star into the Capital Star, using Emperor Wolf Star as a stepping stone. In the end, they even want to revoke my authority on the Imperial Capital Star. They’ve brought the fight right to my doorstep, so why the hell can’t I oppose the Alliance? Why can’t I be independent!"

"I’ve done a fine job developing Emperor Wolf Star, yet the Alliance secretly sends you people to investigate me. Why? It’s because the Alliance wants to seize control of Emperor Wolf Star and get a complete stranglehold on my Yan Family!"

"How I manage this planet is my own business! What right do you have to judge me? To come here and swagger before me?"

’He actually has a point,’ Jian Yu thought, ’if you ignore certain details.’

"The Alliance wants to revoke its direct jurisdiction over Emperor Wolf Star?"

Xi Yu grunted in acknowledgment.

Ling Yanzhi considered this for a moment. "The Alliance wants to standardize its laws to make administration easier."

Sheng Yue’s lips thinned as he added coldly, "The laws differ greatly from planet to planet, and the non-Awakeners are resisting fiercely."

Yan Tianba’s voice grew shriller, quickly drowning out their conversation.

Jian Yu was getting annoyed.

’This damned old geezer talks way too much.’

Gu Qi, having overheard some inside information, knew the situation wasn’t exactly as Yan Tianba described.

He couldn’t help but mutter, "If he keeps ranting like this, Admiral Yan is going to start believing his own lies."

Sheng Yue’s Mecha jolted.

Startled, Gu Qi clapped a hand over his mouth and let out a whimper.

Jian Yu stared intently at the screen on her wristband. The number ticking upward finally reached 800.

’Yan Tianba only started this tirade after fighting for so long because he must think he’s about to win.’

’About to win = all Soul Ghost Bodies deployed = time to harvest.’

Jian Yu swiftly released a large cloud of purplish-black smoke.

The swirling mist instantly filled the entire space inside the Mecha.

She asked, wanting some reassurance, "How long until we can leave Emperor Wolf Star? Roughly how many minutes will it take?"

Sheng Yue was fighting and piloting the Mecha simultaneously, periodically getting knocked back by cannon fire.

Gu Qi, ever the keen observer, noted, "At this rate, we’re getting knocked backward farther than we’re flying forward."

For a rare moment, Sheng Yue was abashed. "..."

Ling Yanzhi was used to beating his opponents into submission; he rarely considered retreat.

He had intended to bring Yan Tianba back to the Alliance for investigation, which was why he had come to Emperor Wolf Star ahead of time to scout and gather evidence.

He’d gathered the evidence, only to be informed that Emperor Wolf Star no longer belonged to the Alliance—it had declared independence.

’Tsk.’

Ling Yanzhi was speechless for a moment, but he knew how to prioritize. He understood that in their current state, they couldn’t possibly drag Yan Tianba back to the Alliance Base.

He could tell from her tone that Jian Yu was confident she could clear a path. He made a quick calculation. "Three minutes."

He based his calculation on Sheng Yue’s combat status.

As long as the Mecha didn’t get tied down, they could probably escape through an unofficial route in three minutes.

The Soul Ghost Bodies pinned them down while fighter jets bombarded the Mecha. It had to be said, Gu Qi’s earlier remark was spot on.

After all this fighting, the Mecha was still stuck in the same spot.

Jian Yu’s fingers clenched. "Ayue, open the air vents. The rest of you, just focus on piloting the Mecha. I can clear a path for at least eight minutes, and I guarantee the Mecha won’t take a single hit during that time."

Gu Qi’s eyes gleamed.

’My judge of character is impeccable.’

’Among everyone here, Jian Yu is the real powerhouse.’

’If only I were a little more handsome,’ he mused. ’I could win over Jian Yu and be set for life.’

The more Gu Qi thought about it, the more indignant he felt. ’Why is it always ugly women and scummy men who go after me?’

A torrent of air mixed with invisible, colorless smoke surged out.

She alternated between using tendrils, clouds, and ribbons of mist, their colors shifting back and forth.

The Spiritual Attacks of the Soul Ghost Bodies were blocked.

Sensing something was wrong, they directed the fighter jets to circle around from behind and strike.

Before they could even get close, they were blasted away by a cloud of mist.

Yan Tianba directed wave after wave of fighter jets to attempt a sneak attack from the flank, but they were still blown away.

The jet canopies popped open, and Soul Ghost Bodies emerged.

They rose into the air, twisting, deforming, and shuddering.

Their grotesque appearances reminded Jian Yu of the various monsters and demons from horror novels.

’Scared? Maybe a little.’

’Then again,’ Jian Yu thought, ’finding a pair of red embroidered shoes on my doorstep first thing in the morning would be scarier than these soul bodies.’

Ribbons of colorless mist coiled around them, tightening little by little, and devoured them completely.

The only regret was that Jian Yu couldn’t "eat" so many at once.

The three Mechas flew farther and farther away.

Yan Tianba’s expression froze, and his smile vanished.

He stared in stunned disbelief at the soul mist filling the air, unable to react for a moment.

’Where did all this come from?’

’Is this how Jian Yu’s mutated Soul Power is supposed to be used?’

’Why was there a delay?’

The expression on Yan Tianba’s face shattered. "You idiots, after them!"

The Soul Ghost Bodies thought, ’Are you blind? We *are* chasing them!’

Yan Tianba wiped a hand over his face, seeming to age years in an instant.

"You’re all directionless, blind idiots! I found you bodies, and you don’t even use your brains!"

The vast majority of Soul Ghost Bodies possessed a special kind of pure idiocy. They were brainless.

Even after taking over a host, they disliked using the human brain, knowing only how to blindly follow their leader.

In no time, they became lost in the black and pink mist, silently reaped by invisible threads of fog.

The Netherworld Energy vanished, leaving behind a dead silence.

Yan Tianba stood his ground. After observing for a while, he finally began to see what was happening.

It was an Illusion.

This soul mist was trapping and killing them!

Yan Tianba had been so caught up in his ranting earlier that he hadn’t followed the Soul Ghost Bodies into the fray.

Otherwise, given the speed at which Jian Yu’s Soul Power was spreading, he would have been dead or crippled.

It was a narrow escape.

A wave of terror washed over him.

The soul mist spreading toward him faded in color, its oppressive aura weakening.

Its Attack Power was low, and Yan Tianba swatted it away with a wave of his hand.

Fearing he would get caught in the trap himself, he gritted his teeth and turned to leave.

It was all that idiot Yan Yu’s fault!

He had been deceived by Yan Yu’s report and had completely underestimated Jian Yu’s power.

’You’re truly useless.’

Yan Tianba narrowed his eyes and looked up.

Floating in the air was a Super 3S-Rank Soul Ghost Body. It was in its Weakness Period.

Yan Tianba sneered. "Ming You, don’t forget that I was the one who lured these people here. You were the one who said you were confident you could capture them. Now that they’ve arrived, you refuse to lift a finger, and you want to pin the blame on me? What the hell is that supposed to mean!"

’It wants to take all the credit for itself.’

Ming You absorbed the residual energy from the surrounding low-level Soul Ghost Bodies.

It spoke softly, ’My losses were heavy.’

Yan Tianba spat. "My losses are far heavier than yours!"

Disappointment filled his eyes. "I’ve openly turned against the Alliance now. Emperor Wolf Star’s future resources are in jeopardy. To bulk up the strength of those things of yours, not only is the Slave Market finished, but from now on, fewer and fewer people will be tricked into coming to Emperor Wolf Star."

Once Xi Yu and the others get back, everything about the Slave Market will be exposed.

On that day, Emperor Wolf Star will have truly achieved its independence.

An independence born of total interstellar isolation!

’What’s the rush? If you can’t trick them here, I can capture them for you.’

Ming You was unconcerned. ’And the people I asked for?’

Yan Tianba snapped back irritably, "Didn’t you see them run away? I told you we should have captured them separately! You wanted to catch them all in one go, but you couldn’t even handle three of them. If all seven had shown up, you would’ve been serving yourself up on a platter."

Ming You’s blood-red eyes drooped. ’I wasn’t talking about them.’

Yan Tianba paused for a second. "The Yan Xu brothers? No word on them yet."

After that huge falling-out, they’re highly unlikely to return willingly.

It all depends on whether Zhao Jiangyou can find a way to lure the Yan Xu brothers back to the Imperial City.

After all, the two brothers developed incredibly quickly, and their research value is undeniably high.

"As long as they return to Emperor Wolf Star, I have ways to make them disappear without a trace."