160: Chapter 160 Suddenly, a silvery-white crack appeared in the sky, and without a sound, an angel descended.

As the night wind swept across the mountain peak, Chen Wuwang remained standing in the center of the main welcoming path. The obsidian ground reflected the golden light of the twelve lighthouses, resembling a starlit path stretching toward the horizon.

He did not move, nor did he look back. For the third time, his right thumb brushed against the rune-engraved Titanium Alloy Dagger at his waist, producing a sharp, short 'click'—the third time tonight.

Below him, the clansmen immediately straightened their backs.

Lin Sanya's palms, gripping her welding torch, were slick with sweat as her eyes remained fixed on the eastern sky.

Behind her, a group of teenage mecha pilots crowded into a corner. Someone whispered, "Can they really fly such a massive ship here? Could the legends just be exaggerations?"

Before the words fully left his mouth, someone nearby gave him a hard shove. "Shut up! The Head of the Family has sharp ears!"

No one dared to breathe loudly.

The spatial fluctuations three hundred miles away had been captured by the Mechanical Prosthetic Eye a quarter of an hour ago.

His long silver-white hair rose with the wind. A stream of deep blue data flashed through Chen Wuwang's left eye before he gave a low-voiced command: "Everyone to your positions. Activate the ceremonial guard."

Buzz—

A low-frequency tremor emanated from deep underground, as if some gargantuan entity was being awakened.

In the next instant, the Crystalline Membrane Stone Steps on both sides of the mountain road suddenly lit up. Ripple-like patterns of light surged forward layer by layer from near to far, like a tide meeting the sea.

The twelve lighthouses resonated in sync, and floating light spheres rotated slowly, casting an ever-changing array of light and shadow.

The po xu type-2 mecha array automatically turned toward the east. Their shoulder cannons lifted slightly, and the green runes on their armor flickered once like a breath.

The Star-Rail Stage rose slowly from the center of the plaza, hovering three feet off the ground. The runes on its surface quietly lit up, awaiting the fall of that single sword.

A silver-white rift suddenly tore through the sky. It was silent, yet it caused everyone's pupils to contract.

A streamlined spaceship glided into the atmosphere. Its entire metallic surface flowed with liquid starlight, and six pairs of light-wings extended from its sides. Each wing shimmered with pale gold runes, like six blades tearing through the Void Realm.

The ship made no roar and generated no shockwaves; it simply hovered quietly a hundred zhang in the air. When the hatch opened, a staircase unfolded from the sky, condensed from light. Stepping onto it caused soft ripples to spread.

Aelia walked forward with measured steps.

She wore a silver-and-gray form-fitting battle robe topped with a sheer gauze cape. A floating Rune Case hung at her waist. Her pace was neither hurried nor slow; with every step, the light-stairs sank slightly and then bounced back, as if she were walking on water.

Behind her, twelve members of the Angel Race marched in formation. Their robes fluttered and their Spiritual Pressure was restrained, yet that innate majesty still made the Chen Family members hold their breath instinctively.

Chen Wuwang finally moved.

He stepped forward, removing the shoulder plates of his translucent psionic armor to reveal his black martial attire—the symbol of the Head of the Family—and his high-tied silver-white hair.

He raised his right palm, palm facing up with fingers slightly curled, in a crisp and decisive motion—the Chen Family Salute, neither humble nor overbearing.

"The Eastern Wasteland Chen Family welcomes the Angel Caravan."

His voice was not loud, yet it carried with the wind across the entire field, even echoing faintly off the distant mountain walls.

The corners of Aelia's mouth curled slightly as she returned the salute with one hand over her chest. Her gaze first swept over his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye, lingering for half a breath, then scanned the three po xu type-2 mechas standing silently in the distance, before finally landing on his face.

"Three years ago, you used a modified Psionic Furnace to pass off as a high-grade Magical Artifact and tricked me into signing a contract. This time, you've certainly put on quite a show of 'divine soldiers descending from the heavens.'"

The deep blue data flow of the Mechanical Prosthetic Eye flashed in Chen Wuwang's eyes as he smiled faintly. "At that time, I truly did need your crystal ores."

Aelia's eyes flickered.

She didn't speak, but merely leaned toward her adjutant and whispered, "Discipline is like a blade, hidden in its scabbard—they are even harder to deal with than they were three years ago."

The adjutant frowned and lowered his voice even further. "Should we... take a detour? There's no rush for this shipment."

Aelia raised a hand to silence him, her smile remaining fixed on her lips, while her gaze returned to Chen Wuwang. "No rush. The play has just begun; how could we exit halfway?"

She took two steps forward, stopping less than ten meters from Chen Wuwang. The air seemed filled with an invisible, taut tension.

"Head of the Chen Family, I have brought a high-end trade delegation this time, not a sightseeing tour," she said. "Is this 'performance' of yours a welcome, or a warning?"

Chen Wuwang laughed.

It wasn't a cold laugh or a mocking one, but a warm, genuine smile.

He spread his hands and gestured toward the brightly lit mountain peak behind him. "What do you think? If it were a warning, would I have let you get this close?"

The two locked eyes, neither backing down.

The clansmen below felt their hearts racing. Some swallowed nervously, others gripped their tools, and everyone lightened their breathing. This wasn't a battle, yet it was more tense than one.

Lin Sanya suddenly whispered to the person next to her, "Did she... mention 'three years ago' on purpose? Does she seem very familiar with the Head of the Family?"

"Duh!" the person glared at her. "Couldn't you tell? They've dealt with each other before! And..." He paused, lowering his voice. "They don't look like enemies to me."

"Then what are they?"

"Partners, I guess. But with people like this, cooperating is more exhausting than fighting."

Just as he finished speaking, the last trail of light in the sky dissipated, and the ship came to a complete standstill.

The twelve Angel Race members took their positions, hands folded over their stomachs, their expressions solemn.

Aelia took a deep breath and looked back at Chen Wuwang. "Since it's not a warning, then it's a sincere welcome?"

"Sincere," Chen Wuwang nodded. "What you bring is opportunity, and my Chen Family never turns guests away at the door."

"Even if..." She shot a meaningful glance at the mecha array, "...we know what you're thinking?"

"What am I thinking?" he asked back.

"You want to use us to let the entire Eastern Wasteland know—the Chen Family is back."

Chen Wuwang neither denied nor admitted it. He simply raised his hand in a "please" gesture.

"The path is laid, the tea is hot. Now that the guests have arrived, the host must show proper hospitality."

Aelia looked at him for a long time before finally smiling. "You're still the same. You never say anything directly, yet every word hits the mark."

She turned and waved. Her adjutant immediately stepped forward, leading the caravan members down the light-stairs. With every step, ripples spread across the ground, as if the entire mountain were responding to their arrival.

Chen Wuwang stood his ground, looking straight ahead.

The po xu type-2 mechas slowly retracted their shoulder cannons, and the Star-Rail Stage remained silent, but everyone knew—the confrontation of that moment just now had decided everything that was to follow.

Lin Sanya quietly exhaled. Looking down, she realized her palms were covered in indentations from the welding torch. She grinned and muttered, "Man, that was more intense than a test drive..."

The boy next to her patted her shoulder. "Stop grinning like an idiot. We might have to help with the reception groups later. If you can sneak into the technical exchange group, remember to ask how those light-wings are powered!"

"Piss off!"

Laughter began to spread quietly through the crowd.

Chen Wuwang heard it, and the corner of his mouth twitched upward again—very briefly, but genuinely.

He still stood in the center of the main welcoming path, facing Aelia with a composed expression, not yet having entered the conversation phase.

Aelia stepped off the ship's stairs and stood on the temporarily laid light-patterned welcoming path, facing him directly. Her smile was faint, and her guard was not yet lowered.

The distance between the two sides was less than ten meters; words had begun, but the depth of the exchange was yet to come.

The wind swept across the mountain peak, fluttering capes and long hair. Under the glow of the lights, it looked like a scroll about to be unfurled, waiting for the first stroke of ink.