The thirty-centimeter caliber anti-ship rocket, with a dull roar, instantly reached Mach three, whipping up a gale through the valley, the blast wave from its launch shaking everyone's body violently. (For the complete novel, visit .1⑥κ.(1κ.O.W.E.N.X.U.E.W.A.N.G) Barely launched, the rocket burst out of the valley.

A gentle voice suddenly sounded: "God so loved the world that all wickedness cannot harm humanity."

A burst of white light descended from the high sky, and a shield condensed from this light appeared within the luminescence. The rocket struck the luminous shield, igniting a cloud of fire that soared upwards. Amidst the tremendous explosion, the cliff face at the valley entrance erupted in flying debris, sending tons of rock skyward as fine shrapnel. The white, shimmering shield flickered violently a few times, its radiance slightly diminished.

The light shield dissipated, and Cardinal Andre stepped slowly into the valley, grasping a silver scepter. Behind him followed four equally young prelates, and after them, twelve imposing knights clad in heavy silver armor, wielding massive two-handed greatswords. Among the three factions present, the Holy See had brought the largest contingent and possessed the greatest immediate imposing presence.

Of course, that was only what was immediately visible. Information fed back by Xin Jia, who was scouting the perimeter of the valley, informed Gu Xiechen that at least four other factions were lying in ambush just outside the valley. This included over two hundred members of the Asian Dao Alliance, practitioners of genuine Zhenqi; over three hundred clerical staff of the Holy See clad in sacred robes; and members of the Pantheon, identifiable by their abnormally fluctuating mental energy, also numbering over three hundred. Beyond these three groups, the largest contingent, surprisingly, belonged to the Romans.

Two thousand high-grade Roman warriors, accompanied by nearly a hundred panther-shaped bio-beasts, entirely black and exceeding five meters in length, were hidden in a ravine less than ten kilometers from the valley.

Gu Xiechen settled back onto a rock, picking up the unconscious fierce tiger beside him. He affectionately cradled the massive head, rubbing his cheek against its fur.

Andre approached Gu Xiechen, made the sign of the cross over his chest, and smiled broadly. "Praise the great Lord, you must be Mr. Gu Xiechen?"

Gu Xiechen casually retrieved the roll of purple-silver bamboo slips from the sleeve of his Daoist robe. He smiled, "This is what you desire. Following one of the recipes within, I luckily managed to forge a batch of specialized metal plates. These three-millimeter-thin plates have perfectly shielded the Roman scanners! The value of this, sirs, you must calculate for yourselves!"

The bamboo slips spun lightly in his hand. Gu Xiechen looked at Ru Hua and the others, whose expressions had suddenly tensed, and chuckled, "These items are not just for personal use. If handed over to the Federation, tsk, tsk! I imagine your agents in the Federal Council could secure even greater authority."

A piercing glare shot from the eyes of Ru Hua and the others. Daoist Zhang immediately called out, "Three pills of the Heaven-Defying Creation Elixir—each one capable of turning a mediocre talent into a cultivation prodigy; nine pills of Marrow-Filling and Origin-Restoring Elixirs, capable of replenishing marrow and supplementing Yuanyang, offering miraculous aid in cultivation; and twelve pills of the Nine-Cycle Minor Reversion Elixir—a single pill can increase internal energy cultivation by ten years; taking all twelve consecutively can boost internal energy by three Jiazi!"

Pausing, Daoist Zhang continued, "Should Mr. Gu Xiechen have any other requests, be it wealth, beauty, or power, the Asian Dao Alliance will bear the full responsibility. Our Alliance is currently fundraising and has already secured 350 billion in cash. If power is desired, a vacant seat for a Congressman in the Federal Council awaits. If beauty is sought, we possess every kind of exquisite woman, be they human, Roman, or various non-human races."

Ru Hua interjected with a strange laugh, adding, "If Mr. Gu has peculiar tastes, ahem, the Nine Nether Dao also keeps several millennium-old zombie beauties!"

Gu Xiechen shivered faintly, glaring at Ru Hua with revulsion.

Poppi sneered, nodding to Gu Xiechen: "Three hundred powerful magic scrolls, thirty super magic scrolls, and six forbidden-level magic scrolls jointly crafted by the Grand Elders of the Pantheon." Poppi shot a contemptuous cold smile at Daoist Zhang, "When the Pantheon makes an offer, we aren't stingy like some people."

Taking a deep breath, Poppi continued, "In terms of wealth and power, whatever the Asian Dao Alliance can offer, the Pantheon can match. In this aspect, none of our three parties can surpass the others. As for beauties, we also have wolf-women, sorceresses, and women with every type of supreme constitution within the Pantheon. As for millennium-old zombies..." Poppi let out a few mocking, cold laughs, "The Death Temple of our Pantheon houses beautiful, centuries-old Lich Mages. I wonder, Mr. Gu, if you might be interested?"

Gu Xiechen shivered again, forcing a dry laugh, "Thank you, my interest in female companionship isn't exceptionally high."

Andre looked upon Ru Hua and Poppi with distaste. He spoke gently, "I see a bright and pure heart in Mr. Gu; he would not be interested in those foul, corrupt, and evil entities. As Archmage Poppi mentioned, what our three factions can offer in terms of wealth and power is comparable."

Reaching into the folds of his sacred robe, Andre fumbled for a moment before producing a pure white scroll and presenting it to Gu Xiechen. He smiled, "These are the bottom-line conditions His Holiness the Pope has agreed to exchange. One hundred copies of the Rank Nine Divine Spell Scrolls personally crafted by His Holiness; three hundred Rank Eight Divine Spell Scrolls; one thousand Rank Seven Divine Spell Scrolls; six hundred Rank Eight Divine Spell Scrolls personally crafted by our various Cardinals; two thousand Rank Seven Divine Spell Scrolls; and ten thousand Rank Six Divine Spell Scrolls. This represents ninety percent of the Holy See's entire inventory of Divine Spell Scrolls from the last decade."

Daoist Zhang and Poppi both gasped in unison. Gu Xiechen’s heart was profoundly shaken.

The Divine Spell Scrolls of the Holy See were infinitely versatile and tremendously powerful, with only a small fraction ever reaching the open market annually. Not to mention the high-rank scrolls made by the Pope himself, even a single Rank Eight defensive scroll, 'Sanctuary of the Holy Spirit,' crafted by a Cardinal, had once fetched an astonishing record price of 1.78 billion Federal Currency on the black market!

Gu Xiechen's fingers trembled uncontrollably; he felt an overwhelming urge to sell the bamboo slips directly to the Holy See.

Andre’s expression also shifted briefly. He stated with extreme seriousness, "In addition to these Divine Spell Scrolls, His Holiness the Pope has also decided to grant Mr. Gu Xiechen three drops of Angelic Holy Blood to assist Mr. Gu in transforming his physical constitution."

"You are insane!" Ru Hua, Daoist Zhang, and Poppi shrieked simultaneously.

Poppi screamed hoarsely, "How can your Holy See possibly still possess Angelic Holy Blood? That substance should have been entirely depleted long ago!"

Andre remained silent, merely gazing at Gu Xiechen. He was utterly confident that no one could refuse the terms offered by the Holy See. Three drops of Angelic Holy Blood—a divine substance capable of transforming a person into the legendary Angelic Form. Once this blood was absorbed, one would possess an immensely long lifespan and unending youth; no one could resist such temptation.

As for the immense quantity of Divine Spell Scrolls... Andre inwardly chuckled with smug satisfaction. The great Pope was always so wise and mighty. Once transformed into the Angelic Form, the body could only house pure, holy light power; Gu Xiechen's soul would gradually be reshaped by this light, ultimately leading him to answer the call and become a member of the Holy See. When that happened, wouldn't those scrolls naturally return to the Church's possession?

In the final analysis, once Gu Xiechen accepted the Holy See's offer, his entire being would belong to them, and the Holy See would also acquire the mysterious bamboo slips—nothing could be more perfect.

Poppi’s face grew ugly. The Pantheon could not temporarily produce a treasure comparable to Angelic Holy Blood, so, with decisive resignation, he, along with Chuck and Elaine, dissolved into black smoke and fled.

Gu Xiechen stroked the tiger’s head in his arms, smiling as he asked Daoist Zhang, "Is the Asian Dao Alliance not preparing to bleed heavily as well?"

Daoist Zhang stomped his foot, glaring at Andre, "What a move you've made! We concede this round! Angelic Holy Blood—you actually possess such an outrageous item! I recall during the First Religious War, you claimed to have exhausted all Angelic Holy Blood creating eighteen Saint Protectors."

Andre merely lowered his head with a slight smile; he was under no obligation to answer such questions.

Daoist Zhang tugged at Ru Hua's sleeve and said calmly, "Daoist Friend Ru Hua, we concede this time! It's just one bamboo slip; Heaven Star likely holds more than one copy!"

Ru Hua remained rooted to the spot, staring blankly at the bamboo slips in Gu Xiechen's hand. Suddenly, he stomped his foot hard, "Damn it, I'm staking it all! Master explicitly commanded that this item must not fall into outsiders' hands. Alas... I suppose I must make this personal sacrifice!"

Gu Xiechen looked up in pleasant surprise, smiling, "Could it be that Brother Ru Hua has something even better?"

Ru Hua countered, "Does Mr. Gu remember our first meeting in London? Siren slaughtered that entire family, and I 'legitimately and legally' obtained that family's final heirloom!"

"Oh? What treasure is that?" Gu Xiechen's eyes brightened.

Ru Hua held up three fingers and stated grimly, "It is the Nine-Dragon Vessel, containing profound mysteries. It was lost overseas from our homeland of Huaxia long ago. The Nine Dragons represent the 'Nine Yang Nine Dragon Demon Sealing Imprint,' an ancient seal that locks away nine drops of the essence blood of Hanba, the legendary ancestor of zombies. I consumed three drops, offered three drops to my Master out of filial piety, and the remaining three... I offer them to trade with you!"

Gu Xiechen was greatly startled, his Dao Embryo pulsating violently.

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As Pig Head had predicted yesterday, the consequence of hauling two large suitcases and a pile of miscellaneous items bought by his older sister—who met him at the train station—upstairs was a small bruise on Pig Head’s shoulder today. His shoulders, arms, wrists, thighs, and especially his calves, were stiff as boards and agonizingly painful... Ugh, depressing...

Perfectly justified to slack off today, feeling completely justified... I can skip writing today... Oh yeah... My entire body aches...

Gotta ask the wife to put on some plaster patches later, ugh, depressing...

Recommendation votes, recommendation votes, comrades... Don't forget recommendations and clicks, even on a Saturday...