With Jie Ming's order given, a month later, the Tentacle Tree Civilization's fleet assembled in the void at the edge of the Infernal Sulfur Plane continent. Looking from afar, tens of thousands of silver-gray warships spread out neatly, like a steel forest suspended in the dark depths of space.
The shield runes newly painted on the hulls emitted a faint blue cold light in the void, gently fluctuating with the flow of energy, like layers of breathing scales.
After all, Jie Ming had been rather strapped for resources lately, so the Tentacle Tree Civilization did not have too many new-type warships.
However, despite the smaller numbers, compared to before, the combat power of this fleet was on an entirely different level.
After reverse analysis and comprehensive upgrades of the Divine Armaments, the caliber of the Tentacle Tree Civilization's ship cannons had shrunk by a ring, yet the energy density had increased several times.
Deep within the fleet formation, one could occasionally spot a few command ships of significantly larger size.
And standing on their bridges were no longer captains from the Tentacle Tree Civilization, but Black Giant Priests with dark golden patterns flowing on their bodies. Though only a small number of sixth-level Black Giant Priests were mixed into the fleet, each one was capable of holding their own on the battlefield.
Planar warfare was never a game where vassal civilizations fought alone.
There always had to be a presence that could suppress the situation.
Lest the enemy plane harbored some special combat power that previous detections had missed, or when the battle reached a stalemate and concentrated force was needed to tear open a line of defense, these Black Giant Priests were precisely prepared for such scenarios.
But this time, Viola had demanded the complete preservation of the surface ecosystem, so the main force remained the Tentacle Tree Civilization.
After all, in terms of conquering different civilizations alone, the Tentacle Tree Civilization might have even more experience than Jie Ming.
Just then, a glow from a teleportation array suddenly lit up in the void.
The silver-white light slowly dissipated, and Viola stepped out from it.
She had changed into a more combat-ready outfit today, her deep blue robe put away, replaced by a tailored short robe. Her silver-gray hair was tied into a high ponytail that swayed gently with her steps.
At her waist hung a small satchel of potions, bulging with the Agony Potion she had personally brewed.
Compared to her usual scholarly demeanor, she now looked more like a blade drawn from its sheath.
But when her habitual smile appeared at the corners of her mouth, the familiar sense of relaxation returned to her.
"Wow, quite the show of force," Viola said casually as she surveyed the fleet formation in the void.
Her gaze lingered on the Black Giant Priests for a moment, a hint of satisfaction flashing in her eyes.
"You even assigned research units like these to me?"
"Just in case," Jie Ming replied calmly.
Viola nodded lightly and said no more.
"Alright," she raised a hand to tidy the stray hair on her forehead, then walked past Jie Ming and flew toward the main control room of the Infernal Sulfur Plane. "Let's begin. The sooner we finish, the sooner we pack up."
Jie Ming glanced at her and followed.
The two soon entered the main control room.
The space inside was far larger than it appeared from outside, surrounded by layers of interlocking control arrays, with the core projection of the planar-level array floating in the center.
Countless runes revolved slowly like fine star streams, and the air was filled with the unique scorching sensation of the elemental pool output.
Without any hesitation, Viola raised her hand and unfolded her Law-Crystallization Domain.
Gray-white law runes spread out beneath her feet, instantly forming a stable circular halo.
Dozens of fine law tentacles extended from the edge of the halo, like invisible nerve endings, reaching deep into the plane origin. In the next moment, the plane origin blazed brightly.
Blazing golden light burst from the core, illuminating the entire main control room as if it were daylight, even coating Jie Ming's control screens with a faint golden edge.
Jie Ming did not waste time; his hands were already moving rapidly over the main control array.
He activated authority runes one by one, and the entire planar-level array began to emit a low, prolonged rumble.
The output power of the seventh-grade large elemental pool started to climb, and the golden wish power from the Incense Fire Divine Dao systems continuously poured into the energy torrent along the established circuits.
Boom...
The entire Infernal Sulfur Plane trembled slightly.
It was as if the whole plane was being forcibly awakened. The power accumulated by the planar-level array converged at the center of the main control room, finally condensing into a dazzling pillar of light that shot straight into the void above.
Viola closed her eyes, her perception extending along the law tentacles deep into the plane origin.
What she was doing was far more complex than it appeared.
The plane coordinates she had previously calculated were quickly converted into navigation parameters that the plane origin could understand.
Then, her Law-Crystallization Domain acted like an invisible hand, slowly manipulating the spatial structure of the entire plane, gradually aligning it toward the target coordinates.
This was a delicate operation only possible with a Law-Crystallization Domain.
It required ensuring the stability of the spatial shift while avoiding excessive damage to the plane itself.
A single mistake would not tear open a controllable planar passage, but a spatial catastrophe capable of engulfing the border continent.
After a moment, Viola opened one eye and looked sideways at Jie Ming.
"Navigation locked." Her tone carried a hint of barely concealed delight. "Let's begin!"
"Isn't your coordinate accuracy a bit off?" Jie Ming said through gritted teeth as he looked at the parameters on the light screen.
"It'll work. I just fine-tuned it. Now it's up to you... to tear it open." Viola waved her hand dismissively.
Jie Ming said no more. He suddenly pressed his hands together and slammed the final activation rune into the control core.
Woom!!!
In an instant, the planar barrier above the Infernal Sulfur Plane continent seemed to be seized by an invisible giant hand, and even the entire planar barrier showed visible wrinkles.
As Jie Ming continued his operations, a black crack suddenly tore open.
At first, it was just a thin line, but in the blink of an eye, the crack swelled into a massive spatial rift spanning hundreds of kilometers.
Inside the rift, turbulent currents from the chaotic void surged, and dark purple bolts of lightning madly darted about, emitting deafening roars. On the other side of the rift, a blue-and-green plane hung quietly in the void.
It was a standard small plane, similar in size to a planet, but in the shape of a round sky and flat earth continent.
Through the planar barrier and thin cloud layers, one could see vast stretches of undeveloped native vegetation below, several majestic mountain ranges extending from the center of the continent to both sides, and a coastline that was both winding and long, like an ancient scar sleeping in the blue seawater.
Even with all the commotion Jie Ming and his team had caused, there was no overly intense reaction from inside the plane.
No giant war fortresses, no sky-covering defensive arrays, not even any high-energy reactions.
If it weren't for the vast jungle vegetation visible, Jie Ming might have suspected this plane was a lifeless wasteland. But regardless, this was a piece of land suitable for establishing a wizard tower foundation.
Viola looked at the plane planet on the other side of the rift, nodded in satisfaction, and then tilted her chin toward Jie Ming.
"Well done. Once I tear open the enemy's planar barrier, your people can enter."