Sanhu and Huertai immediately piloted the main ship, blocking the way for ordinary fighter jets, and frantically slaughtered the enemy forces.

Meanwhile, Xiaoman had already left the combat zone and could barely see the remnants of the 2nd Corps of the Fourth Army that had fled.

"We absolutely cannot let him escape."

With full power, the speed increased again, and it quickly caught up with the last enemy plane.

They suddenly turned and attacked.

Whoosh!

The laser completely blocked the pursuit route, forcing Xiaoman to evade while retaliating.

After destroying about ten enemy planes, there was no sign of Tsikura. He angrily shouted, "Even if you escape to the ends of the earth, I will wipe you out!"

"Calling for the First Princess, calling for the First Princess..."

"Received, please speak!"

"The remaining enemy forces have been wiped out. Return immediately!"

"good!"

A hint of resentment flashed in Xiaoman's eyes as she slowly turned away...

On the other side.

After a long period of time traveling at the speed of light, Sikula has escaped the sphere of influence of the Crimson Hun Empire.

He slowly stood up, swaying precariously, his expression pained, his voice hoarse, "Shut down the light-speed travel, and pick up the Emperor."

"Yes, Commander."

After the fighter jets took off smoothly, the Emperor's projection appeared in the control room.

Emperor Qiao Zhentian smiled slightly and asked, "Thunder King, what brings you to me in such a hurry?"

Tsikura bowed respectfully and recounted the events on the front lines without reservation.

"Wh-what?" Qiao Zhentian's mind was buzzing, and he was a little unsteady on his feet. He leaned on a pillar, his expression extremely ugly.

After a long silence, he slowly spoke, "Having lost two legions in succession, the Empire is stretched thin. King Lei, tell me, how should we fight the battles to come?"

“Your Majesty, I suggested this long ago, but you didn’t heed it.” Tsikura sighed. “Our battle lines are too stretched out. There are fierce battles in all the major star systems. If we don’t consolidate our forces, what will we use to defend ourselves if the Hemudu people lead their army to attack our headquarters?”

Qiao Zhentian trembled, his face turned grim, and his confidence in dominating the entire universe began to waver.

"Furthermore, we are constantly at war and have no time to rest." Tsikura revealed the current state of the people of the Ancient Shu Empire. "Your Majesty, please take a good look at the kind of life they are living. If this continues, we will perish without even needing an enemy to attack us."

The ancient Shu Empire was won with the lives of my ancestors and countless patriotic generals. If the Great Emperor insists on going his own way, I, the Thunder King, will surely rebel!

If it were anyone else, Qiao Zhentian would have executed them long ago for uttering such treasonous words. But Lei Wang was different. His ancestor was the most likely person to become the emperor, yet he willingly relinquished the throne to the Qiao family and established an ancestral precept: "Descendants may only be called kings. Anyone who dares to dream of becoming the emperor will be condemned by the whole world."

Countless generations of Thunder Kings have maintained an exceptionally low profile. In fact, only after their deaths would their generals, who had served with them for many years, learn that they were the pillars of the nation, the ancient Shu Thunder Kings.

Lei Wang's words were like a wake-up call, and Qiao Zhentian was suddenly jolted awake, cold sweat pouring down his face. He bowed deeply and said, "I was truly wrong. Thank you for your guidance, Lei Wang."

He suddenly stood up, exuding an aura of dominance and unparalleled majesty, and declared, "Thunder King, heed my command!"

Tsikura placed his right hand on his heart, knelt on one knee, and said with utmost respect, "Yes, sir!"

"I hereby order you to consolidate all your legions and take full responsibility for their defense and expansion. You must not make any mistakes."

“Thunder King obeys!” Tsikura’s fighting spirit was rekindled, and he nodded heavily. “Your Majesty, rest assured, as long as I have a breath left, the Ancient Shu Empire will still be the super empire that dominates the universe.” He paused for a moment, “Even if I die in battle, my son and descendants will inherit my will and fulfill the oath to unify the universe.”

Qiao Zhentian bowed deeply again, "The existence of the Thunder King in ancient Shu is a blessing for this emperor and a blessing for the people!"

"Your Majesty flatters me, I am unworthy of such praise!" The moment Tsikura looked up, the image of Xiaoman flashed through his mind, and his face instantly darkened. "Your Majesty, there is something I would like to confirm."

"Thunder King, please speak!"

"Among the Hemudu people, there was a girl whose skin color and appearance I observed indicated that she was not a pure Hemudu person, but rather resembled a human from Earth."

"Is that so?"

Tsikura nodded. "Please, Your Majesty, investigate whether any powerful individuals have been teleported here from Blue Star. This matter is very important; it relates to our grand plan for domination. We must find out the truth."

Give me one day!

"good!"

After hanging up the call, Tsikura frowned slightly and looked in the direction of the Crimson Hun Empire. "Who exactly are you?"

......

One day later.

The ancient Shu people who were fighting in the star field collectively withdrew.

Their departure was so sudden that the native inhabitants of various star systems were filled with anxiety, completely unable to guess what they were up to.

The higher-ups immediately contacted the nearest star system, and received the same result.

At the same time, the Chihun Empire also received their inquiries.

"This matter is too suspicious!" Dudu frowned slightly and looked at Hu Xiaoxian, "What does the Advisory Group think?"

"According to my analysis, it is very likely due to the strategic adjustments made by the high command of the ancient Shu Empire after the destruction of the Fourth Army."

"We think so too."

Xiaoman remained silent, her brows furrowing deeper as she scrolled through the images transmitted from various star systems.

Suddenly, his gaze fixed on a devastated star field, his eyes lit up, and he smiled mysteriously, "Dudu, do you want to strengthen the Crimson Hun Empire?"

"I want to!" Dudu's eyes flashed with anticipation.

“These star regions ravaged by the ancient Shu people are the key to our growth!” Xiaoman’s smile deepened. “As long as we help them rebuild their homes and provide them with food and supplies from time to time, they will surely be loyal to us, and then we can naturally bring them under our control.”

The generals and veteran officials were overjoyed.

"Great plan, great plan!" Askar gave a thumbs up.

"Compared to the Grand Princess, I, the commander of the strategist regiment, am nothing but a piece of trash," Fox Fairy said with a wry smile.

"We will follow the eldest princess to learn and strive to become qualified strategists as soon as possible." The members of the strategist group secretly vowed.

No one expected that after this incident, they would study day and night, producing a continuous stream of outstanding military strategists. (Afterword)

Xiaoman smiled knowingly, "Less flattery, more learning is the way to go."

"Yes, sir!"

Everyone left, leaving only Xiaoman and Dudu.

"Little sister!" Xiaoman smiled and gave her a hug. "From now on, practice benevolent governance, listen to loyal advice, and stay away from treacherous officials. Also, the way of the empire is to maintain balance and avoid any one side becoming too powerful."

Dudu nodded emphatically, her eyes reddening, and she sobbed, "Sister, can't you stay a little longer?"

"My planet needs me, I must go back!" Xiaoman's eyes were extremely firm.

"Can we leave tomorrow?" Dudu clung to her tightly, tears streaming down her face. "Sister!"

"Okay, I'll leave tomorrow." Xiaoman gently pushed her away and wiped away her tears. "Tonight, just the two of us sisters, let's have a good chat."

"Yes, sis!"

Xiaoman and Dudu didn't sleep all night, chatting about seemingly unimportant gossip, but in reality, they completely interpreted the way of emperors and the way of being a person.

Both of them reaped great rewards.

"It's dawn, I should go now!" Xiaoman slowly stood up, hugging Dudu tightly. "Little sister, take care!"

"Sister, please take care of yourself too." Overnight, Dudu's temperament matured rapidly. She was no longer the girl who would cry at the drop of a hat, but was transforming into a true emperor.

Xiaoman nodded in satisfaction, smiling brightly.

A smile appeared on Dudu's face as she watched her leave...

Ancient Shu people, the imperial palace.

Tsikola entered, looking travel-worn, a wide, excited smile on his face. "Your Majesty, great news! Great news!"

"What good news?" Qiao Zhentian was greatly shocked.

“Just now, my subordinates sent word that a race that hates Blue Star very much is willing to send a large army to attack Blue Star.” Tsikura’s smile deepened. “They also said that if the first attempt fails, they will use the full strength of their nation to annihilate Blue Star.”

"That's indeed good news." Qiao Zhentian smiled as he looked at him. "Does the Thunder King have more good news to tell me?"

Tsikura laughed heartily, "During the army's retreat, we inadvertently discovered a Primal Starfield, rich in minerals and abundant in resources. It can at least solve one-fifth of the Empire's consumption." He paused, his smile reaching its widest point, "I reasoned with them and appealed to their emotions, and five more major starfields were willing to surrender. The Empire's resource problem has been solved."

Qiao Zhentian was greatly astonished. In just seven days, Lei Wang had solved the major problem that had troubled him for more than ten years. Fortunately, he was not greedy and had no ambition. Otherwise, he would not even know how he died.

He bowed deeply, saying, "King Lei's talent is beyond my reach; I am not even one ten-thousandth as good as him."

"Your Majesty is too modest." Tsikura placed his right hand on his heart and returned the greeting. "The Thunder Kings of the past only studied the way of generals and knew nothing about the way of emperors. Your Majesty has already done very well. You only need to listen to more loyal advice and be more decisive in the future, and you will surely become an emperor for all ages."

"Me? The greatest emperor of all time?" Qiao Zhentian pointed at himself, somewhat incredulous.

Tsikura nodded firmly, his eyes reassuring.

Qiao Zhentian's vision expanded instantly, and his mindset shifted towards that of a 'great emperor for all time'...

Half a day later, on Blue Star, near Shennongjia.

Dark clouds covered the sun, making it pitch black.

A suffocating atmosphere, almost driving people to a mental breakdown, enveloped the entire Shennongjia area.

Li Tianyi and other high-ranking officials are paying close attention to this area.

"Notify the entire army to target this area with all long-range weapons." Kang Zhonghua's face grew even more grim after issuing the order. "Have the garrison here prepare for a swift evacuation. Also, notify the Dafengshan Laboratory to prepare for the large-scale use of the space wormhole."

The order had just been issued.

A deafening clap of thunder echoed across the sky.

A bright flash of lightning appeared, exuding an eerie and malevolent aura.

boom!

Lightning struck the ground, the earth trembled, and nearby vegetation and stones turned to dust.

Sizzle, sizzle!

The strange noises grew louder and louder, and suddenly a point of light appeared in the pit.

The point of light floated out rapidly and landed on the ground.

Whoosh, hiss!

A black portal appeared, releasing a terrifying aura as black as ink.

Sako, who came to investigate, frowned deeply, clenching his fists. "What... what is this?"

"Mere orcs who do not kneel before me shall die!"

The black energy condensed into a giant hand, clamping down on Sako's neck. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't break free.

roar!

A crimson aura surged in all directions, and countless evil orcs appeared.

The Force's dark hand shattered.

A strikingly handsome man, dressed entirely in black, burst out of the passage...