Deep in thought, Lei Chenghu asked, “Is it so powerful?”
“You can doubt anything, but you should never doubt the power of a star.”
Wuying Qi said, “A star in the prime years can be compared to a gigantic living creature that has periodic activities like breath. In the Empyreal Terminus Sector, the cycle of every ‘breath’ of the sun is fourteen years. After every fourteen years, the sun will reach the most intense phase of stellar activities.
“During the phase, all kinds of radiations, magnetic fields, particles, and even the protons inside the sun that are involved in the spiritual energy will be spurted out at a high speed, sweeping across the whole system like countless burning tentacles.
“Even on the capital planet, the power of solar activities can still be felt. Volcano eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes, spiritual energy disruption, and even the mental derangement of the Immortal Cultivators all have a lot to do with the solar activities.
“The universe is a giant magnetic field, and the human body is a small one. The training of the Immortal Cultivators is exactly to integrate the two magnetic fields into a new, powerful one.
“Just like pigeons that have to tell the direction by using the magnetically sensitive areas inside their heads, the Immortal Cultivators are unusually sensitive to all kinds of magnetic fields.
“When the solar activities are in the period of outbreaks, pigeons will be lost due to the disruption of the magnetic field. How could the Immortal Cultivators remain unaffected? Even the experts in the Nascent Soul Stage, the Divinity Transformation Stage, or even the Divinity Branching Stage are too insignificant when faced with the might of a star!
“That’s still a pure natural environment without any human intervention under the protection of the atmosphere. Still, the consequences are severe enough.
“This year is exactly the period of solar outbreaks in the fourteen-year cycle in the Empyreal Terminus Sector. If we could add oil to the fire and make the solar activities on the sun more intense, it will definitely cause a destructive blow to the ace fleets of the four families!
“The supermassive magical equipment like starships are developing toward precision and automation today. The more precise, the more vulnerable. The more automatic, the more they will depend on the system. When particles penetrate through all the main warships in the ace fleets like meteor showers, paralyzing their mainframe crystal processors and power units and casting most of the crew members into a comatose state, those warships as big as mountains, the greatest reliance for the four families to dominate the universe, will become iron coffins flowing along the current, completely at our mercy!”
Profound sparks glittered in Lei Chenghu’s eyes as he said, “So to speak, the solar storm will kill all the soldiers in the four families’ ace fleets?”
“How is it possible?”
Wuying Qi burst into laughter. “I understand what you are saying, Marquis Liaohai. You are highly reluctant to see a civil war in the Imperium. To be honest, I’m unwilling to see the bloodstained scene too. Both Marquis Liaohai and most of the soldiers under the four families’ command are my subjects and the sabers which I count on to conquer the universe. Now, our great enemy, the Covenant Alliance, hasn’t shown up yet. How could I break my sabers for no good reason?
“Rest assured. The effect of the solar storm will only be temporary. The starships and the soldiers will only be paralyzed for a few days, which should be enough for our army to capture all the soldiers in all the ace fleets. I believe that they will certainly realize their mistake and walk on the correct path to serve their country after they are escorted to the capital planet and educated by me and Marquis Liaohai. Is such a result acceptable for you, Marquis Liaohai?”
Lei Chenghu thought for a moment and asked again, “Shouldn’t the solar storm be indiscriminate? If the enemy is fully paralyzed, wouldn’t our army be in too much pain to move anymore too? How are we going to capture the enemy?”
“Please look at this map, Marquis Liaohai.”
Wuying Qi made a gesture. The enormous star behind him immediately turned into a map of the universe with dense spots and rays. “According to my observation of the sun with the Gold Crystal Pyramid and the data left by the Houyi Clan, there will be a sunspot outbreak of a minor scale in this area of the sun a day later.
“By then, the capital planet and the No. 5 planet will be relatively close to each other on their orbits. At the same time, the No. 5 planet will be at its perihelion.
“You know that the four families have conquered the No. 5 planet and regarded it as an advanced base to attack the capital. I have received solid intelligence that tomorrow will be the time of their general attack.
“By then, 80% of the main warships of the four families’ ace fleets will have gathered around the perihelion, and they will have to face the sun defenselessly. The mainframe crystal processors and the power units on board will be running at the highest efficiency. All the magical equipment and crystal chips will shoulder the greatest pressure. A lot of crystal suits and Colossi would even be projected outside of the starships and float in space in their ignorance.
“When the solar storm sweeps over, they will naturally suffer the heaviest blow.
“Our army, on the other hand, is the defender. I have ordered most of the fleets to stay back within the atmosphere. The thick and dense atmosphere of the capital planet is the hardest ‘shield’ to resist the magnetic fields, the radiations, and the high-energy particles. They are enough to offset more than 90% of the power of the solar storm.
“On the other hand, I will order all the starships to turn off their mainframe crystal processors and power units when the solar storm takes place and ask all the soldiers to crawl into the protective gel and the starships to raise the spiritual shield of a special frequency.
“The so-called ‘solar storm’, as a matter of fact, is a mass of high-intensity waves. As long as we learn the frequency in advance and set the spiritual shield to the corresponding frequency, it will be enough to offset 90% of the damage.
“In such a way, at most, the blow of the solar storm that our army suffers will be 5% that of the enemy’s. When the solar storm is over, it will naturally be easy for us to move forward and capture the enemy in bulk.”
“Simple as that?”
Lei Chenghu asked, “There are no side effects at all? No damage will be caused to the surface of the capital planet by the orbits that pierce through the atmosphere or to the space towns connected to the orbits?”
“Marquis Liaohai, I don’t want to lie to you.”
Wuying Qi sighed and said, “The stellar magical equipment is too horrifying when it is on a rampage. How can there be no side effects or sequela?
“I can order the Imperial Guards and the soldiers of the Deep Sea Fleet to crawl into the protective gels in advance as a precaution. However, for confidentiality, it is certainly impossible to evacuate or warn the residents on the capital planet, much less the space residents that are not under the protection of the atmosphere. The outbreak of the solar storm will indeed affect them. Some of them whose body and soul are weak may even… die.
“Neither can I guarantee that all the soldiers of the ace fleets of the four families will only pass out but not die. Who knows whether or not their brains had any conditions before, or if their starships were seriously damaged in the previous battles, or if they would do anything unreasonable when they are panicking?
“This is a war. How can there be no victims in a war? If we do not resort to a secret weapon like the Gold Crystal Pyramid but fight in a regular way, will nobody die? Considering the style of the four families, will they not massacre the people after they occupy the capital? Does your Astounding Thunder Fleet only injure the enemy but do not kill them in the battles in the Seven Seas Space Zone?
“I can only guarantee you that, according to my accurate calculation, the casualty rate of the solar storm is 5% at most. Also, the victims will be the weakest and the least determined people. By the law of the Immortal Cultivators, such people are not qualified to survive in the first place, are they?”
“No…”
Lei Chenghu pondered for a moment and said, “A death rate of 5% is indeed an acceptable figure. Our army will be the sure loser in a regular battle. In the massacre after the four families occupy the capital, as well as the plagues and famines that will come with the massacre, the victims will definitely be more than 5%.
“In order to settle the civil war, build a new Imperium, and deal with the Covenant Alliance, the price of several billion people is not unacceptable. Did Your Majesty keep it a secret from me because you suspect that I would hesitate?”
“Absolutely not. I have never doubted Marquis Liaohai’s loyalty and determination. However, our plan depends on the outbreak of solar activities to achieve a 100% effect.”
Wuying Qi said, “The cycle of the solar activities in the Empyreal Terminus Sector is fourteen years. If we miss this year, we will have to wait for fourteen years for the next best opportunity.
“Once my plan is leaked, all the four families need to do is to wait patiently for a year and a half and attack the capital from the aphelion. Then, the Gold Crystal Pyramid will be useless.
“Do you understand my concerns, Marquis Liaohai?”
“I…”
Lei Chenghu took a deep breath; his eyes slightly red. “I fully understand it!”
Right then, the Grand Illusionary Land was twisted weirdly. The vivid holograms gradually disintegrated into greenish data that flew away in the air.
“Our mobile secret communication base has been detected by the enemy. It is suffering the blanket bombardment from the four families’ ace fleets.”
Slightly frowning, Wuying Qi said, “It seems that the real-time communication cannot last any longer. Thankfully, I have already told everything to Marquis Liaohai frankly. Do you still have any questions, Marquis Liaohai?”
“Not at all. I hope that Your Majesty can annihilate the four ace fleets of the four families smoothly!”
Lei Chenghu’s neck and his face were both flushing. Suddenly, he recalled something else and changed his expression. He said worriedly, “Right now, you must be wary of the cunning thief Li Yao. Since he knows the underground hole, he may know a thing or two about the Gold Crystal Tower.
“Considering the guy’s behavior in the past, it is very likely that he will sneak into the capital and crawl below the ground to sabotage the Gold Crystal Tower.
“I have sent a lot of ships to the capital over the past few days. Considering Li Yao’s combat ability in the Divinity Transformation Stage, I really cannot guarantee that he hasn’t hidden on one of the starships and snuck into the capital!
“The greatest dam may be compromised by a tiny ant’s nest. You must be careful, Your Majesty, in case the scoundrel ruins your cause!”