Chapter 1617: Chapter 1617

The scenes on the battlefield continued, while those who had previously wiped out the forces on the main battlefield moved toward the battlefield’s periphery. Over there, many other fleets were still waiting—perhaps neither side’s armies, some even being civilian warships.

Nevertheless, they didn’t intend to let anyone go. Everyone searched for enemies of suitable strength to engage in combat. Meanwhile, the seventh-tier elites from the Blood-colored Empire began moving around to locate other interstellar fortresses.

These interstellar fortresses hadn’t joined the battlefield nor aligned with any forces on the scene.

But in the eyes of the Professionals, they were like treasure chests full of experience; how could they let that go to waste?

"Master, shouldn’t we take action? If we don’t now, we’ll lose the opportunity later."

"Why rush to grab... just for some crystal coins and near-useless rewards? What’s truly precious in this world isn’t those, but our territory—a realm equipped with cutting-edge technology."

"Exactly. No matter what, we’re still part of the Star Ring; we stand on this side. We could never align with the enemy. If we act now, our reputation will be tarnished. When that happens, it’ll be hard to develop our territory in the future. Our strength isn’t the strongest, so we must tread carefully."

At that moment, Lin Yucha interrupted, while Lin Yushi embarrassedly stuck out her tongue.

Then, Du You waved his hand and said, "Let’s go. Although we can’t take action now, that doesn’t mean we can’t later. When these guys cause enough chaos, we’ll step in to stop them at the perfect moment."

After thinking for a bit, Du You added, "Besides, if the opportunity arises, we might even get the chance to fight on the Blood-colored Empire’s side. Of course, it’s just a possibility. Let’s hope that their forces haven’t made any sudden moves yet."

However, the critical issue wasn’t that. Du You was more concerned about whether the opponent’s seventh-tier elites might be too numerous or overwhelmingly strong. If that were the case, rushing in recklessly would make him an easy target.

Even though they were all Earthlings, once a confrontation broke out, few would truly hold back.

Just as Du You led the sisters away, massive changes began to ripple across the entire Alliance. Countless people were watching the unfolding battle, and its result was impossible to conceal.

The final strike obliterated the entire battlefield, but there were still some surveillance devices around the periphery. They were able to capture the post-battle developments. The destruction of the Alliance’s core forces sent this news racing across the entire Star Ring Alliance faster than the speed of light.

At this moment, nations and hidden powers that had been holding their breath finally felt relief.

Since the Alliance had completely fallen, the era of power struggles was upon them.

In any world, there is never a shortage of ambitious individuals. Starting the very next day, more and more independent factions began to emerge. Many lone forces found various excuses to attack and annex one another to grow stronger.

Even powers controlled by Professionals started showing signs of surfacing.

For forces like Du You’s, with powerful seventh-tier combatants, no one dared to provoke them—for now. But those without seventh-tiers? That was a different story. Regardless of whether they were Earthlings or natives, they attacked and clashed, with identities becoming harder to distinguish.

At this moment, on the edges of the core region, a crowd was steadily gathering.

"Everyone, think carefully. Over the years, how much in taxes have we been forced to contribute? And where were those funds spent? They used our money to make the core region prosperous, while our own lives remain the same each day, year after year. Are you really content with this? Are you willing to live without opportunity, stuck in this miserable state forever?"

"No, we’re not! We demand our rights. That’s why we must reclaim what they took from us. Look at those people in the core region—they’re all sinners!"

Such speeches weren’t limited to a single location; they echoed across many surrounding planets near the core region. Due to prior chaos, the core region now lacked military forces. While the interstellar fortresses around them had been destroyed, many still retained conventional troops. Seeing the Blood-colored Empire’s forces withdrawing, certain ambitious individuals seized the chance to rise up.

Coupled with years of exploitative oppression by the Alliance, resentment toward the once-glorious central region had long been brewing. Now, with a legitimate excuse for vengeance, the flames of hatred in many hearts were stoked.

Once this resentment erupted, it became unstoppable. People organized themselves on a massive scale, amassing like a snowball rolling downhill—bigger and bigger, more and more people storming into the core, raiding one populated planet after another.

Then came the looting, killing, and arson. Human nature faltered under such conditions. As the uprisings grew in strength, they also grew in chaos, spiraling out of control even for the ambitious leaders themselves.

The core region was quickly carved into fragmented territories, becoming even more chaotic than the periphery.

In this state, the core region completely lost any chance of recovery. When the fleeing high-ranking members of the Alliance were captured, the outcome of this upheaval was sealed.

Finally, the former Speaker of the Alliance was forced, with a blade at his throat, to utter the words, "From today, the Star Ring Alliance is officially disbanded." With that declaration, the Star Ring Alliance became a relic of the past, collapsing entirely.

With no unified authority to suppress them, the various powers descended into unchecked expansion.

Du You’s forces were no exception. Ke Jisi immediately mobilized their Starry Sky Transformed Beast, along with a fleet amassed during this period, to begin expanding outward. They had no choice; this was a war zone.

After countless years of war, the resources of this area had been nearly depleted. The planets in this region had been devastated, with few remaining, and those were not resource-rich to begin with. Developing their territory here would be incredibly difficult. Thus, Ke Jisi set her sights on the Star Ring itself.

The starry expanse surrounding the Star Ring Alliance contained a vast array of Star Rings, which served as the Alliance’s strongest defensive line and largest resource zone. This area, abundant with planets and resources, was highly coveted.

Had it not been for the simultaneous interference between battlefield regions and individuals from the Star Ring area itself—some even colluding with the Blood-colored Empire—the Blood-colored Empire’s forces, no matter how powerful, could never have breached the Star Ring’s defenses.

Now, with the Alliance’s collapse and its former upper class systematically hunted down, it could only be considered their own undoing.

These matters, however, were no concern of Du You’s. At this moment, he was busy collaborating with others to negotiate with the Blood-colored Empire.