"Soldiers, our ancestors once told us that our existence was known to no one else, and we are the last safeguard of the Rota Empire Emperor's lineage! Our ancestors lived and died without ever receiving a message from the Rota Empire Emperor's lineage. They were resigned, yet discontented. Finally, we have the chance to no longer remain nameless, but to be known as the army of the entire Empire!"
A hushed silence surrounded them, with every soldier's gaze fixed on their commanding officer.
The young leader was not worried that these people would oppose him. They couldn't, and neither could he. At the genetic level, they were programmed to be loyal to the Rota Empire Emperor for their entire lives. They couldn't refuse orders from their Emperor, even if he commanded them to take their own lives.
Without this technology, not even the first-generation Emperor of the Rota Empire would dare to leave such an army unchecked.
As the young leader issued his command, warships took to the skies one after another. These warships had undergone numerous generations of upgrades since they were first built. No matter how powerful a warship was, it couldn't remain in service for tens of thousands of years without upgrades.
"Activate the long-range teleportation devices, destination: Rota Star!"
A dazzling light flashed, and all the warships disappeared.
At the same time, in the outer space of Rota Star, some warships were patrolling when suddenly, a burst of light appeared, and a large group of warships materialized, leaving the patrolling warship bewildered.
What was happening? Had the Red Alert Empire attacked?
Everyone on Rota Star hurriedly sought shelter. Such an alert level indicated that the enemy had already reached the outer limits of the planet.
"Your Majesty, we have a grave situation!" Cheng Chao, a general, received the news and reported to the Emperor with a troubled expression.
"What could be so serious that even General Cheng wears such a grim expression?" The Emperor asked casually, indulging in various delicious fruits.
"Just now, my subordinates received a message. A fully organized army has appeared outside the planet, and there has been no response from them. There are no markings on their warships, so it's unlikely that they belong to the Red Alert Empire."
The Emperor stood up excitedly from his seat and stared intently at Cheng Chao. "Contact them for me!"
"Your Majesty, it's highly probable that they are an unknown force. Attacking Rota Star at this time clearly signifies hostile intentions."
Cheng Chao's meaning was clear: the other side was unlikely to let Rota Star go easily, and he believed the Emperor was walking into a trap.
"This is an order!" The Emperor's expression darkened.
Cheng Chao could only reluctantly instruct his men to establish contact with the approaching warships.
However, something unexpected happened. The fully organized fleet continued to advance toward Rota Star. In the absence of orders, the planet's defense system, controlled by its local garrison, had no choice but to retaliate.
A battle ensued, and surprisingly, without deploying any Large Galaxy-level Powerhouses, the warships managed to overpower Rota Star's native defense systems.
"People on the warships, you better stay away from Rota Star, or we won't be merciful!"
They sent a blunt message, paying little heed to whether the other side received it. Their brazen behavior seemed to provoke the people on the warships.
"We only obey the Emperor's orders!"
This was the only response they gave. Little did they know that when they mentioned "the Emperor," they were referring to their own Emperor, not the Red Alert Empire's. It wasn't something anyone could have anticipated.
It wasn't until an order came through to deactivate all defense systems and let them in that the standoff ended.
"General, are we really going to let them in? They're the fleet of the Red Alert Empire!" A defensive general expressed strong reluctance.
"They are the Emperor's army, don't make a mistake," Cheng Chao replied.
Amidst the perplexed expressions of many, a warship descended onto Rota Star. Shortly after, news spread that this fully organized army belonged to their Emperor, and it had a Large Galaxy-level eighth-order powerhouse among its ranks.
This powerhouse had undergone three evolutions!
Such a powerhouse existed within their Empire?
Not only were others perplexed, but even the Rota Emperor himself shared the same sentiment. He knew that he possessed an army left by previous Emperors, but he had never been aware of the presence of such a powerhouse within it.
A Large Galaxy eighth-order powerhouse, having undergone three evolutions, was undoubtedly on par with a second-evolution Marshal in terms of strength.
It's important to note that within the category of Large Galaxy-level and Constellation-level powerhouses, there were many fine distinctions.
For instance, the strength of an ordinary Large Galaxy ninth-order and that of a Large Galaxy ninth-order that had undergone five evolutions differed significantly. However, even a Large Galaxy ninth-order with five evolutions still couldn't compare to a Constellation-level powerhouse. This was a fundamental difference in power.
No one knew if a Large Galaxy ninth-order powerhouse with five evolutions, achieved through Cocoon Evolution, could contend with a Constellation-level powerhouse.
After the initial shock came great joy.
The Emperor felt that he had gained insurance. Every day, he kept the young man named Zhenyuan by his side, and as for Cheng Chao, he had long been dismissed.
That's how pragmatic an Emperor was.
With the presence of General Zhenyuan, there were no more incidents of Shadow Hall members injuring the Emperor. Regardless of who the enemy was, they couldn't get close to the Emperor; Zhenyuan took care of them all.
This left Shadow Hall members anxious because, if things continued , they would miss their chance for stable evolution.
Those Shadow Hall powerhouses, who were originally of lower strength and lower levels, were not too concerned. However, those powerful Shadow Hall members who desperately needed this opportunity met in the real world to discuss assassination methods.
On an uninhabited planet, five figures suddenly appeared. All of them were members of the second tier of Shadow Hall, with three of them having undergone four evolutions and two having undergone five evolutions.
In the Universe, completing one evolution before reaching Small Galaxy-level was considered genius. Completing one evolution before reaching Large Galaxy-level was deemed decent. If one only managed to complete one evolution before reaching Constellation-level, they were considered average.
In general, to reach the Large Galaxy-level, one had to complete at least three evolutions to be considered a genius. Four evolutions meant exceptionally talented. Five evolutions bordered on the extraordinary.
If it was Cocoon Evolution, it was truly extraordinary.
Evolution wasn't a simple matter.
To evolve, one needed either external stimulation or a change in their own constitution, provided it was a positive change.
Both methods had low success rates, and if evolution failed, a decrease in strength was a minor consequence; severe cases could result in death or mutilation.
Nevertheless, countless beings still aspired to evolve, as completing Cocoon Evolution before Constellation-level increased the probability of becoming a Constellation-level powerhouse.
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