Scattered across the ground, smaller treasure hunting teams remained blissfully unaware that their fates had been sealed by the Three-Star Bishop of the Star Warrior Sect. Bai Zhongqi, looking at the expression that seemed to decree life and death, was inexplicably reminded of Xiao Yu's face that afternoon at Wuyagong.
At this moment, Lan Xue panicked first. Although she was brave, she was still a little girl, and she looked at Bai Zhongqi somewhat fearfully, asking, "Uncle, what should we do?"
Bai Zhongqi, supporting the back of her chair, said, "Just go through the motions. There's no need to actually open fire."
But Bai Zhongqi knew that even if his F-type Warship Beast didn't make any attack, those people on the ground still had no chance of survival.
Almost simultaneously, the four major powers fired upon the ground. Weapons of various calibers plowed through the earth like rakes. Originally, people on the ground fantasized about getting a small share of the spoils after the appearance of the Golden Great Sail Ship. Everyone knew that participating in this treasure hunt was dangerous, but they always felt that some good fortune would fall their way, and they would end up as winners.
This was no different from the psychology of a gambler.
In just a few minutes, although there were still a few gasping for breath, most people on the ground had been turned into pieces of flesh, and even more were reduced to nothing.
Straight after that, in a video call, Yuan spoke again, "Very well, the world has become a bit cleaner. Now for my second proposal, I'm aware that several of you present have spaceships, signifying some strength. But it's crystal clear, only the Satellite Wolf, Graphite, and Duofen have the power to compete with the Star Warrior Sect. The rest of our friends here are essentially just making up the numbers. I now kindly ask those who brought a ship just to try their luck to leave this place, because if things turn ugly, it won't be good for anyone."
In fact, among the dozen or so people present, besides the three forces mentioned by Yuan, the rest basically had only one spaceship each. Such strength was not accounted for in civilized behavior; to even own a private armed spaceship was to be quite powerful.
Just now, these people were still smug, thinking themselves superior, gleefully following the four major forces to dispose of the ground's small fries, but unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, the Three-Star Bishop of the Star Warrior Sect proposed to dispense with them as well.
An alien captain with skin like a lychee shell and dark blue eyes yelled, "Bishop sir, do we need to remind you that the Star Warrior Sect has only brought one spaceship too? Are you going to leave with us powerless folks as well?"
Yuan appeared composed, but Bai Zhongqi immediately had some premonitions.
Just then, a red light burst out from the bow of the Star Warrior Sect's spaceship, striking a small ship. The lethality of the red light was terrifying, piercing the shield of the ship in a single hit and even going through the entirety of the ship.
The lychee shell-skinned captain, who just a second ago had been staring angrily, lost his signal in the video conference the next second, with his holographic image disappearing from the table.
Without a doubt, the man and his crew were dead.
Bai Zhongqi had felt a strong Star Energy fluctuation in the recent bombardment, completely different from when he used Star Energy before. The red light had energized the power into a manic state, resulting in an ineffable horrific destructive force. Despite the energy of the attack not originating from Star Energy, without it, the blast could not have achieved such an effect.
The manager of the Graphite United Consortium, Pulaisi, frowned and said to Yuan, "Bishop Sir, your behavior hardly inspires a sense of security. Starting with the weakest and then eliminating the next in line, does this mean all three of our powers are doomed to suffer?"
Yuan's eyes, empty yet chilling, looked at Pulaisi and replied, "Believe me, Manager Pulaisi, if the Cult had the power to easily take care of all of you here, I would not be wasting my time, and you all would have been dead long ago."
Upon hearing these words, Bai Zhongqi didn't know whether Yuan was being ridiculously naive or genuinely believed everyone present was too weak to fear offending them.
The military leader of the Duofen Civilization's treasure hunting group, Qi Lin, said, "Bishop Sir, I think acquiring the Golden Great Sail Ship is no easy feat. For thousands of years, no one has truly possessed it, and relying on the power of individuals or small groups is unreliable. I suggest we collaborate and pool our strengths to keep the Golden Great Sail Ship in our universe forever."
"I'm sorry," Yuan replied without a moment's thought, "the Cult has no interest in sharing something divine with mortals."
Qi Lin's gaze sharpened as he said, "Bishop Sir, you are not making a rational choice."
Yuan, however, said, "If you want to start a fight now, then go ahead, for I will be going after the Great Sail Ship in a moment."
He paused, scanning the expressions of the representatives of the several major powers and added, "If you all want to join forces against me, you better start quickly, because the Cult will collect its interests afterward. Of course, it's unlikely you'll survive today."
The three powers were inherently suspicious of one another. Although pressured by the Star Warrior Sect, no one was willing to be the sacrificial pawn and directly confront Yuan of the Star Warrior Sect. This was part of Yuan's calculated expectations; if they weakened themselves through conflict now, they would be completely disqualified when the Golden Great Sail Ship appeared.
It was precisely because Yuan understood the underlying disputes among the three powers that he dared to provoke them . Moreover, his threats were very real, given that the Star Warrior Sect was the largest power among these participating groups, and they were notoriously unyielding, always seeking tenfold retribution for any affront.
Lan Xue sat there, amused as she watched these "bigwigs" squabble—it was quite a spectacle. She was thinking that if they could just tear each other apart, by the time the big ship arrived, they would be too busy fighting each other, leaving her to reap the benefits as the opportunist, which would be nothing short of perfect.
However, this Three-Star Bishop hadn't forgotten the "single ship" players who had yet to move, and casually pointing at Lan Xue, he said, "You have 30 seconds to disappear from my sight, or you'll make this planet your graveyard."
Lan Xue panicked, the aura of the Three-Star Bishop overwhelming her, and she looked helplessly at Bai Zhongqi beside her, hoping he would have a suggestion.
To her surprise, Bai Zhongqi pulled out a piece of paper from nowhere and said, "Read it aloud."
Unfolding the note, Lan Xue blankly recited, "Fuck your mother!"