Skyfire Avenue - Chapter 802

Chapter 802

Chapter 802: Sheol

It was no accident that this resource-rich place was one of the aliens’ targets .

Three hours after departing from Angel, Sheol appeared on the horizon 1 . The surface was a darker hue of purple than Angel had been, but that was likely because the planet’s natural color was darker .

Even from this distance Lan Jue could see the host of alien creatures in the space around it . These were the remains of the main force that Lan Qing had defeated . They were here to protect the planet, but also to wait for an opportunity to pay the humans back for the pain they’d visited upon them .

Zeus-1 took a wide tack, approaching from the side but keeping a safe distance . The fiends were too thick for them to infiltrate at the moment . The human armada had departed for this sector of space at the same time Lan Jue had left . Now they just had to wait .

After holding their position for some time, the three bastions were again on the move . Meanwhile its twelve support fleets remained behind in perfect formation . Middle Heaven, Tyrannosaurus, and Poseidon advanced on Sheol in the triangular arrangement that’d worked for them so far .

They moved slowly, but that only made them seem all the more imposing after their recent victory .

Middle Heaven again took the lead, the largest and least attractive of the three . Not that appearance was a big concern in a warship, but An Lun was anything but pretty to begin with . It looked like splotchy stone ball spinning through space .

However the aliens would not soon forget that this rocky orb could turn into a blazing sun at a moment’s notice . The memory of their fiery defeat would forever be seared into their memory . Middle Heaven’s combat tactics were also varied and unexpected, and the aliens still weren’t sure what the bastion was capable of .

Poseidon and Tyrannosaurus followed in the rocky war-planet’s wake . Tyrannosaurus, its metallic luster glinting in the dark, was the most traditional of the three . Poseidon was the most beautiful, with its sky-blue exterior .

As they approached an invisible, inexplicable pressure filled the space around them .

Not long after the bastions appeared within view, the aliens tasked with protecting Sheol began to move . They gathered into formation and fled to the far side of the planet, staying true to their previous tactics . Clearly they feared what these human ships could do .

For good reason . They had watched their brethren die horribly from the bastions, and it filled them with fear .

Lan Jue sat in Zeus-1 with a thoughtful expression on his face . “It looks like the aliens are trying to delay . This is good . ”

Biding time meant the alien home words were indeed evolving . These weaker beasts were trying to buy them enough time to complete the process . For the present they wouldn’t have to worry about the planets showing up out of nowhere . Once they completed their transformation, however, things would be different .

Of course Lan Jue had strong feelings toward that eventuality, but right now delaying indicated the best of all scenarios for humanity .

“Prepare to set out!” Lan Jue gave Mika the command .

Zeus-1 started to move again, on a trajectory toward Sheol .

Lan Jue knew that the aliens had to have stealth capabilities of some fashion . Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to react as quickly as they did to the presence of bastions . Lan Jue also understood the psychology of these monsters . They preferred a straight fight, hence their predisposition for head-on assaults . They had the necessary strength to overwhelm and destroy the human armada, too . Only, they knew little about Middle Heaven and didn’t understand its fighting abilities . That lack of intelligence had already cost them dearly .

Since their loss the aliens had chosen to forego direct confrontation . Now evasion was their main tactic . This confirmed that their main aim was to delay the human forces, and use the seven outer planets to act as stumbling blocks . If they fled from planet to planet the humans would be forced to take them in a circuitous route that would take days . The aliens knew they had the advantage of speed .

Lan Jue was confident that if the bastions moved in for a full attack the aliens would withdraw . They would stretch the human ships thin and use that to their benefit . That was precisely the situation Lan Jue did not want to see . His brother saw it, too .

As they moved in closer to the planet, its surface was made clearer to them . It was composed of many peaks and valleys, with cities concentrated on tracts of flat land where they could be found . From orbit they could also see the bases and infrastructure left behind by the West . They were all in various states of destruction .

Only a few aliens dotted the path ahead . Through Lin Guoguo’s psychic obfuscation, they slipped by and entered the planet’s atmosphere . The ground came rushing up to meet them .

Meanwhile the bastions continued to approach, pressuring the alien forces . This had given Lan Jue and his party the opportunity to sneak in, but left them open to siege .

When Zeus-1 was a couple thousand meters above the ground it stopped . Six figures dropped out, disappearing in flash of pink before materializing on Sheol’s pock-marked surface .

They were immediately met with the faint odor of Sulphur . This wasn’t a trait of the aliens’ presence . The purple corruption they expected to see did not cover everything, either . Those areas were active volcanoes sprang up had burned the creeping fungus away . In fact, there was no life to be found near the smoldering scars .

Lan Jue and the other five stood quietly and waited . They would wait until Zeus-1 was safely away before continuing on . If their means of escape was discovered they would have to rush to its aid .

However Zeus’ Amazons did not disappoint . Zeus-1 quickly disappeared into the sky . They couldn’t see it with the Blinding Stone, of course, but they could be assured everything was fine from the absence of combat sounds .

Luo Xianni knelt on the ground while flickers of pink danced in her eyes . Her fighting style was different now that she’d entered the Infinite . Quick and decisive victory was her modus operandi .

The Pharmacist looked toward Lan Jue . “Do you need me to lead?” She asked .

Lan Jue smiled . “Let us try . You can be backup . Driver, Pauper, guard our flanks . ”

Everyone nodded . No one doubted Qianlin’s power after seeing what she did on Angel . These two young folks achieved levels of power beyond their reach with their simultaneous breakthroughs . They could only accept that the younger generation would be their superiors .

It was the same for the Pharmacist . She broke through to a Reflection of Heaven and Earth, and had a Banishing Blade at her command .

Lan Je and Qianlin stood side by side, hand in hand, immersing themselves in each other’s thoughts and sensations . Smile smiles were on both of their faces .

Envy flitted across the Pharmacist’s expression as she looked at the two young lovers . Her heart filled with sadness . If her husband were here perhaps they would act similarly .

Ultus had to be recovered! The Pharmacist pursed her lips in determination .

“Found it . ” Luo Xianni’s eyes suddenly popped open, sparkling . All of a sudden six streams of light appeared beneath everyone’s feet .

In a flash everyone disappeared . For them in was like reality clicked, like the shutter of a camera, and they were somewhere else . The scene was one of expansive pink, covered entirely in writhing alien bodies . The sky above, the ground below – everywhere replete with enemies . Obviously they were on the planet’s far side .

Just as on Angel they spied the enormous artery stretching out into space, connecting heaven and earth . At its base the progenitor writhed its gargantuan bulk as it gorged on the world’s vital energy .

The alien numbers were beyond imagining . Lan Jue could also see a familiar figure hanging in the air . It was the Violet Prince .

He floated in the center of the alien horde while the lesser beasts roiled in his orbit . In the skies overhead a couple creatures several thousand meters long could faintly be seen . A mighty array of foes was putting it lightly .

Luo Xianni spoke to them . “We’re in a parallel dimension of my creation . They can’t see us, but we can see them . The progenitor is below, surrounded by who knows how many alien guardians . That is the Violet Prince, whose power you are familiar with . Now that I’ve advanced I’m sure I can keep him tied up, but I’m not sure I can defeat him . When the time comes I’ll initiate the attack and focus on him and the aliens closest to him . The rest of you take this opportunity to go after the progenitor . Once it’s slain, we’ll escape . ”

If Lan Jue and Qianlin hadn’t broken through, or if Luo Xianni hadn’t chosen to rise to the Infinite, than this plan would not be possible . There were too many powerful aliens for them to contend with all at once . It would have been as impossible as pulling embers from a fire without burning one’s hands .

The progenitor were getting stronger with each time they found a new one . This one was probably Nirvana-level or higher, more than enough to keep them tied down and allow the other beasts to swallow them up .

However, now that they had a Paragon of the Infinite on their side the chances of retreat were high . Even the Violet Prince was no cause for alarm . This plan could work .

“Mother, I suggest we wait . This isn’t the best time to move in . ” If another one of the alien royalty of a doppelganger appeared, they could easily get overwhelmed .

“So what do you suggest?” She asked .