Acai's Sky

The salty sea breeze blew star sand onto Ah Cai's face. She took off her goggles and looked up at the mottled outer wall of the island camp.

Dark purple corrosion marks coiled around the alloy wall like poisonous snakes. Those were the hideous scars left by the energy weapons burning during the last space pirate invasion.

The [Primary Paint Brush] in his hand gleamed in the sunlight. This palm-sized cylindrical device now carried the hope of "rebirth" for the entire camp.

"Starting repair mode."

Ah Cai pressed the emerald button on the side, and a translucent energy filter suddenly appeared on the top of the paint.

Fine nano-repairing liquid sprayed out like silver mist. Wherever it passed, the charred walls showed a warm jade-like luster, and the cracks healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

She stepped on the suspended ladder and slowly ascended. She could hear the subtle "hissing" sound of the repair fluid colliding with metal, as if the camp was whispering its gratitude for surviving the disaster.

In the distant training ground, Qin General Li Xin, wearing black armor and holding a gilded spear, was giving a stern speech to the 800 newly summoned Qin soldiers.

These soldiers, formed from the power of star cores, still had bronze armor that was not yet fully formed.

"Gun formation! Change!"

The Qin general Li Xin's roar made the air buzz, and the soldiers raised their guns and formed a forest, but due to their unfamiliar coordination, there were several obvious flaws in the formation.

"General, the distance between the left wing of the third row is too large!" A Qin soldier who looked like a sergeant reminded loudly.

Qin General Li Xin frowned and thrust his spear into the ground. "Since you cannot enter the fragmented light ball to fight, you must become the strongest barrier on this island! Starting today, you must train for three extra hours every day!"

Before he finished speaking, there was a sudden "clang" sound from the southeast corner of the training ground - a recruit's shield accidentally slipped out of his hand and rolled a long way on the ground.

Ah Cai smiled secretly, but her painting continued unabated. She remembered that when she first met these Star Core soldiers, they couldn't even operate modern electromagnetic cannons. Now, although they were still a bit clumsy, they had already mastered the use of energy shields.

The repair fluid passed over the camp's watchtower, and the damaged early warning device on the top of the tower lit up with a faint blue light again, and the scanning rays covered the entire sea area like a spider web.

"Lord!" a familiar voice called from the direction of the teleportation array. Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty wore a modified version of Ming Guang armor, the jeweled belt around his waist jingling with every step.

He gazed at the newly renovated camp, clapped his hands, and sighed, "I was only half a day late, and I missed two fierce battles! How many military exploits did that old scoundrel Bai Qi achieve?"

Ah Cai pressed the pause button on the painting, and the suspended ladder slowly descended. "Your Majesty, General Bai used a modified interstellar version of 'Ten Thousand Arrows' this time, sending the pirates' vanguard fleet fleeing in panic."

A sly smile flashed in her eyes. "Your Majesty, what treasure did you find in the fragments of time and space last time?"

Li Shimin pulled out a bronze compass engraved with a star map from his sleeve. The Big Dipper on the surface of the compass was gleaming with golden light. "This is called the Xuanji Positioning Device. It can lock coordinates in the chaotic flow of time and space. Unfortunately..."

His expression darkened, "If I had gotten this earlier, I would not have missed this battle."

The sea breeze suddenly turned cold, and Acai's terminal issued a rapid alarm.

She opened the temple system interface, and her breath stopped when she saw the string of dense zeros behind the crystal coin balance - 37,658,000!

This is the sum of several fragment rewards, enough to buy half of the temple mall.

"These crystal coins..."

Ah Cai muttered to herself, her fingertips sliding across the dazzling array of props on the mall interface.

In the holographic projection, offensive and defensive equipment, summoning scrolls, and amplification potions flow in the light and shadow.

Her eyes suddenly fixed on the "Space Defense" category. She gritted her teeth as she recalled the tragic scene of the pirates using a space teleportation device to raid the camp the previous month.

"We must strengthen our defense!"

Ah Cai decisively clicked the filter button. The moment the interface refreshed, dozens of props appeared before her:

- [Qian Kun Locking Cloud Formation]: A consumable space sealing item that forms a hexagonal energy cage when unfolded, forcibly locking onto space fluctuations within a 100-meter radius.

- [Star Track Refraction Prism]: Placed outside the camp, it can reflect the energy impact generated by space jump back to the source of emission.

- [Taixu Warning Bell]: A modified version of an ancient spiritual weapon. When it senses a spatial rift opening, it will issue a nine-fold heavenly sound warning.

She added the first two to the shopping cart without hesitation, and her eyes were attracted by a peculiarly shaped prop - [Taotie Swallowing Void Box].

The surface of this inky black square box was embossed with the ferocious face of the ancient beast Taotie. The description made her pupils shrink slightly: "Actively absorbs spatial transmission energy within a 500-meter radius, converting it into advanced nourishment for the spirit beast within the box."

"That's it!"

Ah Cai clicked to confirm the purchase, and the system immediately popped up a prompt: "Consumption of 12,000,000 crystal coins, do you want to continue?"

She gritted her teeth and pressed the OK button.

At the same time, Li Shimin came over to watch the fun, and suddenly pointed at the screen and exclaimed, "This [Thirty-Six Heavenly Shields] is amazing! I've fought in battles for many years and I know the importance of defense!"

Ah Cai looked in the direction he pointed, and saw that it was a defense array composed of thirty-six bronze shields. When deployed, it could form a superimposed energy shield that could even withstand three star-level energy shocks.

The price was equally staggering—20,000,000 crystal coins.

"Your Majesty, this is too expensive..." Acai hesitated.

Li Shimin laughed heartily. A golden light suddenly shone from the belt around his waist, condensing into a translucent sand table in front of the two men. "Although I missed the battle, I found an ancient relic among the fragments of time and space. The star core veins inside are enough to pay this fee!"

On the sand table, an ancient palace suspended among the nebulae slowly rotates, and the four seal characters "Lingxiao Treasure House" on the plaque on the palace door shine with golden light.

Ah Cai's eyes lit up, and he immediately added the [Thirty-six Tiangang Shields] to the shopping cart.

As the confirmation button was pressed, a large amount of crystal coins disappeared like water, but the next second, the open space in the camp was brightly lit.

Thirty-six bronze shields fell from the sky, each engraved with mysterious runes.

The shields automatically arranged themselves into a hexagram formation. Within the golden pillar of light that shot up into the sky, the shadow of a celestial dragon could be vaguely seen coiling. Ah Cai retrieved the [Taotie Devouring Void Box] and placed it at the core of the defensive formation.

The Taotie pattern on the surface of the box suddenly came alive, opened its huge mouth, and greedily devoured the free spatial energy in the air.

"Activate the defense system!"

As soon as Ah Cai gave the order, the entire island was suddenly covered by a pale golden light curtain.

The watchtower's warning device issued a sharp sound, and the scanning beam became more intense.

The Star Track Refracting Prism automatically unfolds along the coastline, reflecting thousands of gorgeous rainbows, but it hides a deadly murderous intent.

Qin General Li Xin's training voice suddenly stopped. He looked at the ever-changing defensive lights and shadows in the sky and slammed his spear into the ground. "Excellent! With this defense, even a million enemy troops won't be able to set foot on the island!"

The newly recruited Qin soldiers laid down their weapons and stared in amazement at this miraculous defensive formation.

Acai opened the terminal to check the defense data, and all indicators showed perfect status.

But she knew that the vast starry sea was teeming with dangers, and this defensive upgrade was only the beginning. She turned to look at Li Shimin, who was enthusiastically studying the use of the [Qiankun Locking Cloud Formation] and suddenly spoke, "Your Majesty, regarding the Lingxiao Treasure House..."

"Let's leave tomorrow!"

Li Shimin's eyes flashed with the passion of war. "With these defensive items, even if there are ancient guardians in the treasury, I can..."

His words were suddenly interrupted by a piercing alarm. Acai's terminal flashed red, and an emergency communication popped up—the Dark Moon Pirates' vanguard fleet had breached the outer defenses!

"Just in time!"

Ah Cai gripped the spirit beast summoner at her waist tightly, with fighting spirit burning in her eyes.

She looked at the gradually taking shape of the defensive array, a confident smile on her lips: "Let me show you how solid this Star Sea Fortress, built at a cost of 50 million crystal coins, is!"

At this moment, on the Dark Moon flagship far away in the depths of the universe, the leader looked at the images sent back by the scouts, and his face covered with mechanical prosthetic limbs showed a changeable expression.

In the picture, Acai's island camp is shrouded in a golden light curtain, like an unshakable fortress of the kingdom of God.

He slammed his fingers down on the console. "Activate the space folding device! I want to see how many space raids this little defense can withstand!"

On the island, Ah Cai has summoned Xiaoxiao·Tuantuan and Nuomituan, the dog·Feiyue, Xuantian...

Tuan Tuan's healing aura circulated in the camp, and the glutinous rice ball turned into a giant crystal barrier, complementing the [Thirty-six Tiangang Shields].

At Li Xin's command, eight hundred Qin soldiers formed a defensive formation, with their spears like a forest pointing straight to the sky.

"Get ready to meet the enemy!"

Ah Cai's voice echoed throughout the camp. The sea breeze howled, and ripples appeared on the defensive light curtain. An unprecedented battle for the star sea was about to unfold...