With the blackout notice officially issued, the spatial channel construction technology was finally ready for its first test run.
But before the test could begin, Feng Qi convened Star City's highest-level internal meeting.
Attending the meeting were senior officials from the Star City Military Department, the Crimson Research Institute, and the Tiger Soul Research Institute—the three institutions with the highest authority in Star City.
The meeting was held at Tiger Soul Research Institute, with the main agenda focused on the construction of the spatial channel.
The location of the teleportation array, the supply of materials, and the allocation of personnel—all these issues required coordination between the three major organizations.
Since this was the first attempt, there were many challenges and logistical concerns to address.
As discussions grew heated, Feng Qi, sitting at the head of the table, quietly listened to the representatives from each faction arguing their viewpoints.
One thing was certain—the spatial channel must be constructed outside Star City, including the initial test phase.
Conducting the test within Star City posed two major risks:
1. If the ambush plan were carried out inside Star City and something went wrong, the arriving Silver Moon Clan forces could survive the trap and unleash catastrophic destruction.
Although the likelihood of failure was low, given that there would be multiple test phases before actual execution, there was still a possibility of losing control.
2. The test could trigger mass panic among Star City residents.
Even though 500 years had passed since the Great Cataclysm, people still feared spatial portals.
Back when cities fell, spatial rifts had suddenly appeared in the sky, followed by the domain fields descending and massacring the population.
Although Star City's Western District was primarily an industrial zone, it was still home to a large population.
A sudden spatial anomaly in the sky would undoubtedly spread fear throughout the city.
If not for these two issues, Feng Qi wouldn't have even needed the Mist Lord's spatial technology.
After all, the Silver Moon Clan had already drawn a teleportation formation inside the Energy Research Institute's core facility.
All they had to do was activate it, and a spatial channel would open over Star City's Western District, luring the Silver Moon Clan forces in.
Beyond these primary concerns, one of the representatives raised an issue that Feng Qi himself had overlooked:
How could they ensure that the spatial channel constructed by the Mist Tribe wouldn't arouse the Silver Moon Clan's suspicion?
Feng Qi immediately recognized the gravity of this problem.
The spatial channel they were building was based on the Mist Lord's technology, which might be visibly different from what the Silver Moon Clan used.
If the Silver Moon Clan noticed discrepancies, they would immediately suspect a trap.
After all, if a spatial gateway suddenly appeared using completely different technology, even a fool would realize that something was wrong.
They would instantly question why the portal hadn't been activated by Silver Bell and her forces, and whether it led into an ambush.
This seemingly minor detail was actually critical.
If they couldn't solve this, all their preparations would be meaningless.
After the meeting, Feng Qi privately consulted the Mist Lord on how to handle this issue.
The Mist Lord's response was reassuring:
"You don't need to worry about that. We can simply adjust the spatial parameters to match the Silver Moon Clan's teleportation formation inside the Energy Research Institute. I've already thought of this in advance, and I'll personally handle the calibration."
Hearing this, Feng Qi finally felt at ease.
The next day, he personally accompanied the Mist Lord to the Energy Research Institute to study the spatial traces left by the Silver Moon Clan.
After reviewing the formation, the Mist Lord confirmed that he could perfectly replicate it.
With that, Feng Qi could focus entirely on the next phase—the first trial run of the spatial channel.
There were ten days remaining until the scheduled blackout.
During this time, every issue had to be addressed.
One of the reasons for issuing the blackout notice ten days in advance rather than on the day of the test itself was to allow Star City to prepare.
Energy was the lifeblood of Star City.
Once power was cut off, medical, transportation, and educational facilities would be forced into partial shutdown.
Citizens needed enough time to make necessary adjustments.
If they had announced the blackout at the last minute, it could have resulted in numerous complications.
For example, if a patient had a scheduled surgery the next day and was suddenly told that power would be cut off, the delayed procedure could result in death.
Hospitals had backup generators, but those had limited capacity and couldn't sustain full operations for an entire day.
Some departments would inevitably have to be shut down.
By announcing the blackout in advance, medical facilities could prioritize which services to maintain and allocate resources accordingly.
Apart from Crimson Research Institute, Tiger Soul Research Institute, and the Military Department, which had independent backup power stations, every other institution in Star City would be affected.
Thus, the advance notice allowed residents and organizations to make necessary preparations.
After ten days of intensive preparations, the blackout day finally arrived.
In the wilderness east of Star City, an area spanning five kilometers had been completely cleared of vegetation.
From an aerial view, a massive formation could be seen, covering the ground like an intricate blueprint.
The spatial test was about to begin.
The structure of this formation was incredibly complex and lacked symmetry, completely contradicting the fundamental principles of human formation studies.
In human formation techniques, symmetry was a basic rule.
For example, formations like hexagrams and rhombic arrays followed a symmetrical pattern.
Such formations were typically vertically symmetric, horizontally symmetric, or even fully symmetrical on all four sides, embodying harmony and the natural order.
After all, formations relied on the power of natural elements to achieve their intended effects.
However, spatial formations were an exception.
Their structures were asymmetrical, twisted, and bizarre, and their complexity far surpassed ordinary formations.
Feng Qi had asked the Mist Lord about this.
The Mist Lord explained that regular formations followed symmetrical structures to align with natural laws, while spatial transmission arrays worked by tearing space apart, fundamentally violating the existing rules of reality.
As a result, spatial teleportation formations were inherently irregular and appeared twisted and chaotic.
Constructing this teleportation formation had taken nearly ten thousand personnel from three major institutions over ten days of coordinated effort.
The formation was drawn with the blood of domain creatures, utilizing the spatial technology provided by the Mist Lord.
Before the first test, Feng Qi and the Mist Lord had arrived early.
Suspended in the air, they looked down upon the vast formation below.
As the activation process was being prepared, technicians from the Crimson Research Institute, dressed in uniforms, worked alongside military personnel to double-check every formation detail.
Every individual involved was cautious and meticulous, fearing that any mistake could damage the formation and cause the entire plan to fail.
The inspection continued until 7:30 AM.
As confirmation messages came in from each section, the lead technician switched on green indicator lights one by one.
Once all the lights were illuminated, the technicians turned to Feng Qi.
Seeing this, Feng Qi and the Mist Lord descended to the command station.
After verifying that all readings were stable, Feng Qi checked the digital clock on the control panel.
When the time hit 8:00 AM, he raised his communicator, brought it to his lips, and issued the command:
"Star City Western District, commence energy supply!"
He repeated the order three times.
At that moment, energy facilities across the Western District began operations.
Power across Star City was cut off instantly, plunging the city into a semi-shutdown state.
However, because of the advance notification, there was no panic or unexpected incidents.
As the city's power grid shut down, the energy transmission system of the Western District surged into high-output mode.
A continuous stream of spiritual energy and resources was funneled eastward toward the formation zone where Feng Qi stood.
As the energy influx reached the array, the formation's core node was the first to activate, emitting a crimson light that pierced the sky.
Luckily, since it was broad daylight, the blood-red glow wouldn't attract too much attention from Star City's residents.
At the heart of the formation, scarlet energy tendrils extended outward, spreading in a spiraling pattern.
The Mist Lord, watching from the side, suddenly spoke:
"Doesn't this remind you of those mosquito coils humans use?"
Feng Qi was momentarily stunned.
Looking at the formation again, he realized—it really did resemble one.
The only difference was that this "mosquito coil" was igniting from the center outward, and its intricate design was far more complex.
As time passed, the blood-red light gradually spread, becoming denser and more vibrant.
Across Star City's Western District, energy facilities operated at maximum capacity, continuously converting spirit energy crystals into pure energy before transferring it to the formation.
Like the rest of the staff, Feng Qi felt a mix of anticipation and tension.
They had poured immense effort into building this teleportation array.
Ten days of non-stop work, countless resources spent, and an entire day of city-wide shutdown—all of this had come at a massive cost.
Even after today's test, there would still be at least two more rounds before they could officially execute the Silver Moon Clan ambush plan.
The first test was focused on analyzing the teleportation array's functionality.
The next steps involved observing the formation's performance and addressing any technical issues.
The second test would introduce the activation of the Blood Refinement Grand Formation, an essential component of the Silver Moon Clan extermination strategy.
The third test would refine the shortcomings observed in the first two tests, ensuring seamless execution.
Even if everything went perfectly, they needed at least three successful tests before launching the Silver Moon Clan ambush.
If unexpected problems arose, the number of test runs would increase, and the operation would be delayed accordingly.
This level of caution was necessary to guarantee success.
It was a massive investment, but if it succeeded, Star City would gain an unparalleled supply of energy resources, accelerating its future growth and development.
Time continued ticking away.
At 10:24 AM, the spatial transmission formation fully activated.
A pillar of blood-red light shot up into the sky, coalescing into a swirling blood cloud.
The blood cloud churned, distorting the surrounding space.
At that moment, the core of the formation's central node suddenly emitted a brilliant silver glow. Instantly, the crimson light above receded like a retreating tide, replaced by a vast expanse of silvery-white.
This transformation had been pre-arranged by the Mist Lord—its purpose was to simulate the Silver Moon Clan's spatial transmission technology.
As the team waited, the silvery mist spread gradually, while fine cracks began appearing in the sky.
It was clear that tearing open a spatial rift was highly unstable—the flashes of light within the silver mist flickered erratically, lacking the smooth precision of a well-executed space rupture.
At that moment, everyone present held their breath.
As the energy continued to pour in, the spatial rift expanded, forming a crack over 100 meters wide in the sky. And it was still growing.
When the rift reached over 1,000 meters, its horizontal expansion slowed, but it began extending vertically.
It was as if a giant black eye was slowly opening in the heavens.
Seeing this, the entire team felt a surge of excitement.
Regardless of whether the experiment ultimately succeeded or failed, they had already accomplished the crucial step of tearing open space and creating a spatial rift.
The silvery mist above greedily absorbed the formation's energy, fueling the continued expansion of the rift. Meanwhile, the formation below converted the supplied energy into the force required to sustain the rupture.
However, the expansion rate was slower than Feng Qi had expected.
During the sacrifice line incident, the Silver Moon Clan's vanguard, led by Yin Ling, had constructed a spatial gateway that nearly covered the entire Western District of Star City.
Yet, the current rift was growing at a much slower pace.
As if responding to his thoughts, the rift suddenly accelerated.
It was like a black curtain rapidly spreading across the sky, gradually blotting out the sun.
Looking up, the interior of the spatial rift was pitch-black, making it impossible to see what lay beyond.
The ground trembled slightly.
The center of the formation burst into a brilliant silver radiance, sending a column of light piercing into the rift above.
Within the black void, a translucent silver passage slowly materialized.
It resembled a gateway to another realm, steadily extending forward into the unknown.
However, it was visibly unstable—the passage flickered unpredictably, as if it could collapse at any moment.
Seeing this, the Mist Lord furrowed his brows.
"This is likely due to insufficient energy supply. During the Silver Moon Clan's incursion in the Western District, they built the spatial passage directly above the city and drew energy straight from the district itself, avoiding the losses caused by energy transmission."
"More importantly, at that time, the energy institutions had already upgraded their equipment based on Yin Ling's new plans, significantly improving conversion efficiency."
Hearing the Mist Lord's analysis, Feng Qi nodded.
"We'll find a way to resolve this issue in the next phase. For now, this test confirms that the spatial transmission formation is structurally sound. That alone is great news for us."
The Mist Lord smirked, his eyes brimming with pride.
"The technology of my Mist Clan is always reliable."
Seeing this undisguised self-satisfaction, Feng Qi raised his thumb approvingly.
After all, he was quite familiar with the Mist Clan's tendency for self-praise.
Looking back toward the sky, he observed that the spatial passage was still forming and extending.
At this point, the first test was essentially complete.
Feng Qi picked up his communicator, preparing to issue the command to shut down the energy supply.
But just as his finger was about to press the button, a massive shadow suddenly emerged within the spatial passage.
His expression immediately darkened, and he lowered the communicator.
This test had not been connected to the Silver Moon Clan's coordinates—instead, they had manually adjusted the parameters.
This adjustment carried a degree of risk.
By avoiding the Silver Moon Clan's domain, they had essentially selected a random coordinate, which meant there was a chance they could connect to an unknown realm—one inhabited by a powerful domain faction or even a super-domain entity.
The probability was low, but if they had indeed connected to a major force or a terrifying domain creature, and it came through the passage, it would spell unprecedented disaster for Star City.
This one mistake could cause the entire plan to collapse.
Of course, Feng Qi had accounted for this risk.
Before setting up the formation, he had discussed it with the Mist Lord, and they had decided to target the coordinates of the Mist Clan's abandoned homeland.
Since the Mist Clan had long since vacated the area, it was now a barren wasteland.
There should have been no risk of encountering a hostile faction or a super-domain entity.
Yet, against all expectations, the formation had still drawn in a being from the domain world.
Feng Qi's gaze locked onto the colossal shadow descending from the sky.
Without hesitation, he activated his Blood Source Form.
The power of blood surged, wrapping around his body, rapidly generating layers of dense muscle fibers. His stature grew taller in an instant.
Glancing at the Mist Lord, he saw that the latter had also partially turned into mist, preparing for battle.
The Mist Lord's cold voice rang out:
"No need to hesitate—kill it."
The moment the words left his mouth, he surged forward toward the descending figure.
Feng Qi immediately followed, his aura erupting like a storm.