Jia Yan had always known that the reason Territory Masters are called Territory Masters, even among all the existences with galaxy-level power, is because they possess a "domain," which is completely different from the ordinary mid-level galaxy existences.

This so-called domain is akin to the "domain" ability that some stellar levels possess. However, compared to the domains of general stellar levels, it’s essentially another thing altogether.

It completely transcends the concept of a domain, with entirely different combat abilities and effects.

This is why the Territory Masters can easily crush ordinary mid-level galaxy existences. Even if the power seems similar to ordinary mid-level galaxy existences on the surface, they are classified as another level, known as "Territory Masters."

"If what happened earlier was indeed a domain, then why would Predecessor Tianji waste precious energy allowing me to experience it once? Could it be that he’s deliberately demonstrating it to me, hoping I could go further on the Territory Master path? Or perhaps he hopes that when I encounter other Territory Masters, I would have some self-preservation ability?"

Jia Yan thought about many things.

Today’s gains were substantial, leaving Jia Yan without regret for spending several months traveling from the Elf Kingdom to the interior of the Solar System.

However, these months were indeed too much of a waste of time for the current situation.

Jia Yan had no solution because he didn’t have any means of transportation, as his true body was too enormous.

"Lord, the Sixteen Route Combined Army has begun a probing attack."

Just as Jia Yan left the Kuiper Belt of the Solar System, a message communication made his heart tremble.

The opponent had started attacking!

Although there had been a standoff for months, wars in the starry sky are not that simple. The Sixteen Route Combined Army launching an attack together indicated they were well-prepared, possibly bringing supplies in advance; otherwise, it would be hard to attack so soon after the standoff.

"What’s the situation on the battlefield? Also, have they stated a reason for initiating the war?"

Jia Yan asked gloomily.

In reality, he did not want to fight the Sixteen Route Combined Army, which likely possessed galaxy-level power.

But avoiding combat was no longer an option, as they were already at the doorstep.

"Lord, the situation is very unfavorable. We can clearly see that our foundational strong ones are much weaker compared to theirs. The initial war started on one side of the Biochemical Star Region border. Initially, we hoped to clash with the enemy, but after the encounter, we realized the situation was different. The enemy was beyond our ability to contend with, even if their small battleship’s strong ones were at the Respect Level, while our Respect Levels are already high-level commanders of fleets."

"Furthermore, they did state a reason for the war, claiming they wanted to help the Empire uphold justice. Our attacks on the Empire’s fleet left them in disarray, and upon hearing of your advancement, they quickly surrendered and retreated. Yet, according to the Sixteen Route Combined Army, we’re bullying their side, pressing the border toward the Empire, nearly half a light-year into their territory, hence they want to uphold justice."

On the other end of the communication was a young man resembling an Earth person.

While speaking to Jia Yan, he remained remarkably humble.

This young man was indeed from Earth, and Jia Yan knew he was his niece Jia Qi’s husband.

His beloved niece had been taken by this young man, making Jia Yan initially very displeased with him, even contemplating using his position to trouble this convenient nephew-in-law.

However, after seeing him in person and working with him for a while, Jia Yan discovered he was quite decent, managing work in an orderly fashion, even more straightforward than Jia Yan himself. It appeared that his niece had found an easy-going man.

After some thought, Jia Yan decided not to make things too difficult for him.

But all that was in the past. At least now, Jia Yan had become quite familiar with this nephew-in-law, and they occasionally spoke about family matters.

But not now.

"Hmm, I understand. The situation is critical, but since the opponent is not planning a massive attack, we shouldn’t worry too much. Let’s fight while gradually shrinking the scope of engagement. When the opportunity arises, I will help everyone reclaim the lost lands, but for now, we need to endure a little."

"Endure?"

"Yes, endure. All those industrial warships we’ve prepared can now be put to use, evacuating the civilians to the inside of the Orion Arm."

Jia Yan calmly issued his orders.

"Yes, Lord, I understand."

Upon ending the communication, Jia Yan sighed deeply again.

The war had already shown signs of escalating, and the industrial products Jia Yan had been developing could now be put to use.

These technological items included battleships and relatively advanced long-range war wheels, among others.

Battleships and war wheels were able to transport numerous civilians onto the ships, allowing them to leave areas about to erupt with conflict.

"I hope I won’t have to use another trump card to help everyone escape."

Jia Yan glanced at the intelligence, noticing some civilians on certain battleships seemed to have lost hope in life, feeling quite desolate.

The feeling of being displaced was something those on the borderlands had experienced before, but now they had to endure it again. Moreover, it could once again mean the destruction of homes and deaths of loved ones, leading to another massive migration, leaving them despairing.

Jia Yan had no solutions for this.

"Hmm? Right, wasn’t there a war outbreak at the border? Then... is Xiao Rong there too?"

Suddenly, Jia Yan seemed to think of something.

Jia Rong being at the border was something Jia Yan knew beforehand, but now that the war had begun, Jia Rong might be in danger.

Although Jia Yan wasn’t very fond of Jia Rong, considering him as a half-son, he still cared somewhat for him.

So Jia Yan went through the intelligence, reviewing it carefully.

Originally, Jia Yan hadn’t looked at intelligence ranked in the middle tier because there was just too much of it. Nonetheless, the personnel conveying intelligence surprisingly placed Jia Rong’s intelligence at the very end.

Finally finding Jia Rong’s intelligence, Jia Yan opened it.

"So he managed to escape too. No wonder his intelligence was placed toward the end; as long as he’s safe, it’s fine."

Jia Yan read the content of the report, exhaling a sigh of relief.

"Alright, now that the war has begun, whether these forces possess galaxy-level existences depends on checking the specific situation. They will soon show their true colors."

The intelligence department might seem advanced but was actually lagging. Despite this, until now, Jia Yan hadn’t found out which enemies the new Sixteen Route Combined Army consisted of, nor whether they had galaxy-level powerhouses behind them. This was very unfavorable to Jia Yan because he didn’t know how the situation might unfold.

"I hope even with so many strong ones, there aren’t any galaxy-middle-stage existences; otherwise, I’ll be in trouble."

Jia Yan quietly absorbed the war atmosphere revealed in the intelligence, feeling a surge of passion even within himself.

Keep in mind, the war between the Orion Arm and the Empire hadn’t lasted long. The presence of strong ones on the Orion Arm’s side had deterred the Empire, prompting them to retreat voluntarily.

The current enemy was the Sixteen Route Combined Army, appearing unafraid of the potentially appearing galaxy-level powerhouse Jia Yan. Their forces seemed to surpass the Empire’s military edge, testing the Orion Arm Army’s resilience greatly.