The words of Master Xiya exploded like fireworks at a festival; Yang Ying only cared about the Ape Master who held a grudge in his heart!

Slaying an Ape Master was a rare victory in the war between humans and apes, even more significant than destroying ten enemy flagship vessels.

The main warships could be built at any time, but Masters were not available whenever one wished; a single low-level Master required decades of arduous cultivation, coupled with sufficient luck and talent to be forged.

Although the Ancient Legion had ten times more high-ranking apes than humanity’s Psionicists, the number of Masters on both sides was roughly equal, hovering around fifty or sixty each.

With one less Gatu, the power of the Ancient Legion at the Master level decreased by two percent.

Master Garcia smiled, walking up to Yang Ying: "Colonel Blade, please convey my highest respects to Commander Yang Ying. This plan to execute Gatu originated from your hands; I thank you for your contribution on behalf of the Psionic Monastery."

"I will relay all of this to Commander Yang Ying. Truthfully, faced with the opportunity to execute an Ape Master, I believe no human would let it pass. Our Trant Mercenary Group is no different," Yang Ying replied humbly.

Master Garcia glanced at the time and stated, "I will report the results of the battle to the Thirteenth Fleet and the Psionic Monastery headquarters. You all can chat for a while first."

"Understood," the others responded.

After Master Garcia left, Quasi-Master Silver Sword exchanged his silver lightsaber for Yang Ying's, saying sincerely, "I must thank you, Colonel Blade, for the intelligence and arrangements made by you and the Trant Mercenary Group, and for this silver lightsaber. Without your assistance, I fear we would have only managed to repel Gatu this time."

Yang Ying took the saber and hung it at his waist, smiling, "I must also thank you for your help. Without all of you, Gatu would likely have wreaked havoc in our base. Ordinary people cannot withstand the steps of a Master."

"If possible, could you tell me about the process of how you lured Gatu?"

"Certainly," Quasi-Master Silver Sword nodded. "Let's start with that powerful psionic field Gatu emitted before he fled. The reason that field could repulse everyone, even injure you, was because Gatu deployed a kind of overdraft technique similar to the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Great Law."

"Heavenly Demon Disintegration Great Law?" Yang Ying asked doubtfully.

"It's just an analogy," the Quasi-Master replied. "After using the overdraft technique, one depletes their own power, resulting in a massive surge in ability for a short time, though it only lasts a few minutes before declining. This weakness will persist for several hours."

"Trading a few minutes of power for several hours of weakness sounds like a poor bargain," Yang Ying murmured.

"If those few minutes allow you to defeat a formidable enemy, then being weak for a few hours is worth it," another Quasi-Master interjected.

"The price Gatu paid for using that move wasn't too high, so the power gained was also limited. There are several other overdraft methods classified as forbidden techniques; they can completely exhaust one's life force, temporarily allowing even a lower-tier Psionicist to possess Master-level strength, but the result is..." Quasi-Master Silver Sword paused.

"Death?" Yang Ying finished the sentence.

"Yes," the three Quasi-Masters nodded.

Quasi-Master Silver Sword continued, "Even when in full health, Gatu could not have defeated Master Garcia in a few minutes using that overdraft technique, let alone with his injured mobility. He had no choice but to flee."

Yang Ying could imagine that if Gatu had engaged Master Garcia while using the overdraft technique, Master Garcia only needed to defend with full effort to weather the few minutes, which would not have been difficult—just as before, when Master Garcia, along with three Quasi-Masters, couldn't defeat the fully defending Gatu quickly.

Quasi-Master Silver Sword went on, "I followed Master Garcia in pursuit, but Gatu's sudden surge in strength compensated for his leg injury; he fled almost at the speed of a healthy individual. I couldn't keep up with his pace at all, so Master Garcia had to leave me behind to chase."

"And then you came back?" Yang Ying asked.

"Certainly not," Quasi-Master Silver replied, shaking his head. "I kept chasing. Not long after, I heard Gatu's roar ahead, and following the sound, I found Gatu and Master Garcia already locked in battle. They were fighting on the platform's landing pad, where the wreckage of a black-and-gold fighter plane lay. It must have been Gatu's. He intended to escape back to his jet, but he hadn't expected it to be destroyed. That might be why he let out that roar."

Yang Ying smiled slightly, knowing that the destruction of Gatu's fighter jet must have been the work of the Ghost Fighters executing the blockade mission around the platform!

Back when the plan was formulated, to prevent Gatu from escaping, all vehicles capable of flying into space had been removed from the platform, and the ship that brought Master Garcia and his group had retreated immediately after arrival. This was done to prevent Gatu from becoming alerted by military vessels upon his arrival.

Once Gatu's fighter landed, the Ghost Fighters would destroy it, putting the entire platform under complete lockdown. Gatu wouldn't be able to leave even if he wanted to!

"Huh," Yang Ying suddenly thought of something strange. "The landing pad is outside the platform... so the two Masters were fighting in the vacuum of space?"

Quasi-Master Silver Sword affirmed, "That's right. A Master's body has already transcended the mundane. Elements crucial for ordinary people's survival—food, water, or oxygen—are optional for a Master."

"Incredible!" The shock surging in Yang Ying's heart was like a monstrous tsunami. He had no idea how to evaluate this revelation.

Without eating, drinking, or breathing—were they still human?

Although Yang Ying had long known that many people described Masters as having transcended the mundane, from the few Master-level experts he had met, he couldn't discern any qualitative gap between them and ordinary people.

Now, he finally understood the transcendent characteristic of Masters surpassing the mortal form.

Seeing Yang Ying’s astonishment, Quasi-Master Silver Sword felt a surge of pride and chuckled, "In fact, even for us Quasi-Masters, the requirement for these survival elements has been reduced to the minimum. We can go a month without eating, or fight in space for a whole day without breathing. Compared to the breathing issue, the difference between the cosmic vacuum and internal pressure is just a small matter."

Yang Ying nodded; he clearly understood that once the breathing issue was resolved, flying and fighting freely in space was a simple matter.

Psionicists could fly on Earth, and in gravity-free space, ascending was even easier, requiring no effort to maintain altitude.

Quasi-Master Silver Sword continued, "In the vacuum of space without solid ground beneath their feet, Gatu’s leg injury didn't affect his movements, so Master Garcia was in a passive defensive state. By the time I arrived at the landing pad, Gatu was launching a torrential offense. However, he was already reaching his breaking point. Just seconds after I joined the fight, Gatu’s offense weakened—his time was up."

He laughed a couple of times and continued, "Then Master Garcia and I gained a decisive advantage against the weakened Gatu, finally, after dozens of moves, Master Garcia severed Gatu's head with one strike. That is how it happened."

After Quasi-Master Silver Sword finished speaking, Master Garcia also concluded his report and walked over. "We should return to Ceres as well, Colonel Blade."

Yang Ying said, "I should return to Gray Port."

"Then let's go together."

The group arrived at the landing pad. Yang Ying was wearing a new spacesuit he found on the platform; his original one was ragged from the fight. Master Garcia and the Quasi-Masters, however, were still in their monk-like robes, the vacuum seeming to have no effect on them.

By this time, the Thirteenth Fleet's ships were docked at the landing pad.

"A pleasant cooperation. I hope there will be another chance. Farewell, Colonel Blade. If you ever wish to visit the Psionic Monastery, its doors are always open to you," Master Garcia transmitted via telepathy with a smile before boarding the vessel with the Quasi-Masters.

"A pleasant cooperation, but I have no intention of leaving the Trant Mercenary Group for now. Goodbye, Master Garcia, goodbye, everyone," Yang Ying bid farewell using telepathy as well.

After the ship flew away, Yang Ying called his own Ghost Fighter, boarded it, and headed towards Gray Port.

In the endless sea of asteroids, the City of Sin remained brightly illuminated.

The moment Ulysses, the first emissary of the Apes, stepped into Hulas's room, he felt a crushing pressure descending upon him from his mental world. Right before his eyes, Hulas stood with his back to him, his posture perfectly straight.

Hulas's presence was like a dormant volcano, as if an endless, scorching magma flowed within him, spreading outward in all directions.

Merely gazing at that silent figure, Ulysses immediately broke into a cold sweat, feeling as though he were trapped inside a furnace.

However, this feeling lasted only an instant. Then, Hulas vanished without a trace, as if he had never existed.

Ulysses collected himself, wiped his brow, and stepped forward to report, "Sect Master, may I ask why you summoned me?"

Hulas turned around and spoke slowly, "Gatu’s presence has vanished."

"Elder You's presence has vanished?" Ulysses was shocked. "Doesn't that mean Elder You has been killed?"

"You will take men to investigate the cause and effect of this matter, and simultaneously seek an opportunity to kill Yang Ying."

If Hulas had considered brainwashing Yang Ying for his service a few days prior, that thought was gone the moment he sensed Gatu's death. Since Gatu died while on his way to find Yang Ying, Hulas didn't care what role Yang Ying played; he only wanted Yang Ying dead.

Yang Ying must be held accountable for the death of an Ape Master!

"Yes, Sect Master," Ulysses obeyed. "I will bring Three and Ten with me. The two pirate fleets they were leading were just wiped out by the Trant Mercenary Group, so they can settle that score with Yang Ying."

"Go!" Hulas waved his hand, dismissing Ulysses.