Without a sound, Gu Xichen drew a communicator from his sleeve, spoke a few hurried words into it, and the small transport vessel that Siren and Aredia had arrived in suddenly powered up, slowly ascending into the night sky, heading toward the Hell’s Angels mercenary base. The vessel was sizable, and the blue flame trail of its plasma engine was particularly striking against the dark sky; everyone in the nearby woods and mountains witnessed its departure from the valley.

In a thicket not far off, three subordinates of the Ecclesiastical Court, clad in white robes, watched in stunned silence as Gu Xichen stood motionless while the transport vessel soared away. They couldn't comprehend what was happening. A sudden burst of yellowish dust erupted from behind the trio just as one of them was about to raise an alarm. Xin Jia’s massive frame emerged from the cloud, his hands easily snapping the necks of two of the robed men. With a gentle punch, he drove the head of the final man three feet deep into the earth.

The sentries Andrei had stationed outside the valley included these three white-robed figures, plus two other teams. One team consisted of three heavily armored Knights of the Court; these three were also just about to send a warning to the valley when three thin, razor-sharp discs sliced across their throats. Blood spurted from their carotid arteries in pillars that reached seven or eight meters, hissing audibly.

The final sentry group comprised three assassins dressed in tight black bodysuits. As Gu Xichen remotely piloted the transport vessel skyward, their fingers immediately pressed the communicators on their wrists. However, nine hulking figures dropped down from the massive trees above them. Nine wooden spears, nearly two zhang long, pierced their bodies with a dull, tearing sound through the air. The three assassins secretly trained by the Ecclesiastical Court never transmitted any information.

Ingrid emerged from the undergrowth, idly turning a small dagger over in his hand. He nodded sullenly toward Gu Xichen.

Gu Xichen wasted no words. He ordered Xin Jia to bury all nine corpses dozens of meters underground. Then, taking his entourage, he swiftly bypassed the valley floor and began a slow climb up the cliff face on one side of the valley. There, Gu Xichen discovered an excellent hiding spot: a natural cavern formed by several huge boulders, large enough to shelter over twenty people. He left Xin Jia and a few of his subordinates to patrol the perimeter, while Gu Xichen and the others concealed themselves within this natural grotto.

From this vantage point on the cliff, every movement within the valley below was clearly visible.

Perhaps seeing Gu Xichen’s transport vessel depart and receiving no warning from the external sentries, Bishop Andrei truly believed Gu Xichen had left the area. His entire focus was fixed upon Rhu Hua and Little Daoist Zhang. Somehow—the specifics unknown—after only a few sharp words of provocation exchanged between them, more than a dozen Ecclesiastical Knights charged toward Rhu Hua and Little Daoist Zhang, swinging their greatswords.

Gu Xichen lay prone behind a boulder, narrowing his eyes as he watched the engagement below. Ingrid knelt beside him on one knee, also observing the battle through a pair of night-vision goggles.

The moment the Ecclesiastical Knights attacked, Little Daoist Zhang retreated behind Rhu Hua. Rhu Hua let out a monstrous howl to the heavens, rolled up his sleeves, and moved to meet the dozen or so knights head-on. As Rhu Hua tilted his head back, the three moons in the sky seemed to brighten momentarily. Layer upon layer of cyan-gray mist seeped out from the moonlight, enveloping Rhu Hua. Evil energy swirled around him, and the distorted light made his figure appear much larger than his normal height.

Two greatswords, flashing with white holy light, cleaved down toward him. Rhu Hua raised his right fist and, in the span of one-hundredth of a second, struck eighteen lightning-fast punches. The force of his blows agitated the air, causing thunderous blasts to erupt throughout the valley. Two Ecclesiastical Knights screamed and were sent flying backward. Their heavy silver armor failed to protect their flesh; each man was struck with nine clear fist imprints, their bodies pierced through. Nine distinct fist marks were also visible on the armor behind them.

Little Daoist Zhang had already retreated a dozen meters away. His face contorted in ferocity as he roared, "Boundless Heavenly Lord! Today, this Daoist shall start a slaughter!" He flipped up the front edge of his Daoist robe, and a high-energy autocannon with a thirty-millimeter caliber materialized in his hand. Little Daoist Zhang braced the cannon steadily on the ground and forcefully pressed the firing stud with both hands. A sound like heavy rain hitting banana leaves—‘chichi-chichi-chichi’—resounded as the clearly modified laser cannon spat out thousands of energy streams in less than three-tenths of a second.

The Ecclesiastical Knights, their eyes red as they rushed toward Rhu Hua seeking vengeance for their comrades, were caught completely off guard. A thin white light erupted over their armor, and the high-energy light streams splashed against the glow, scattering wide sheets of luminous rain. This thin white light held for only a short time before shattering. The dozen-plus knights shrieked and rapidly retreated backward. Each of them bore two or three transparent holes the size of an egg running clean through them, their faces contorted by agonizing pain.

Andrei’s expression turned exceedingly grim, and he let out a vicious roar.

Three Ecclesiastical Bishops in white robes stepped forward, simultaneously tearing open scrolls they had prepared beforehand. Thirty Ecclesiastical Knights surged past the three bishops, emitting thick, inches-deep plumes of white holy flame. These thirty knights shouted the holy name of God, and the greatswords in their hands belched out sword-light extending nearly a foot.

The three shredded scrolls spewed forth an immense blaze of holy light, which converged into a single pillar, over ten meters thick, shooting up into the sky. Threads of golden light sprinkled down from above as a hazy figure, several meters tall and bearing wings, slowly descended from the column of light. This figure mumbled a few indistinct words, and suddenly the sky was filled with celestial music. Streams of golden light continuously shot forth from the figure’s hands, simultaneously enveloping the thirty charging knights in thick golden halos. Magic circles, nearly a meter in diameter, erupted beneath their feet in gold.

"Damn it!" Rhu Hua and Little Daoist Zhang cursed in unison. Little Daoist Zhang hastily retracted his autocannon, and the two dashed into the valley one after the other.

The thirty Ecclesiastical Knights relentlessly pursued them, while Andrei, grinning broadly, charged into the valley with his main force following closely behind.

"Strange, where are the people from the Asian Daoist Alliance?" Gu Xichen frowned. "Could it be those two actually dared to come here to trade with me by themselves?"

Beep-beep. Gu Xichen’s communicator on his left wrist chimed twice. He quickly answered it.

The military intelligence department of the Pangu Base, Expeditionary Force to Paradise Star, sent Gu Xichen real-time satellite imagery. In the dense forest twenty kilometers north of the valley, the Asian Daoist Alliance was currently locked in a standoff with the Gods' Alliance. More than a dozen burly figures exuding deathly stillness were engaged in a brutal fistfight with over a dozen wolf-men covered in long black fur. The satellite images showed that these twenty to thirty massive figures possessed astonishing power, having already leveled several hundred square meters of the surrounding forest.

Siren and Ingrid both crowded closer. Siren sneered, "It seems the Ecclesiastical Court and the Gods' Alliance have reached some sort of cooperation agreement, especially since the Asian Daoist Alliance obtained that bamboo slip."

Ingrid lightly scored his own cheek with the dagger in his hand, stating gravely, "If those three factions start fighting amongst themselves and inflict heavy casualties, our pressure will be significantly eased."

Giving Gu Xichen another disgruntled glare, Ingrid muttered, "I have to admit, luring them to this valley was a brilliant move. Uh, aren't you worried that the Ecclesiastical Court will later tell the Asian Daoist Alliance that you were the one who sold the coordinates of this valley to them?"

Gu Xichen looked at Ingrid with an expression of pure astonishment.

"What does that have to do with me? I provided the coordinates, that’s true, but the person who communicated the intelligence to them was the military intelligence officer from Pangu Base. What business is that of mine?"

"You!" Ingrid trembled with rage, pointing at Gu Xichen without speaking for a long moment.

Gu Xichen ignored Ingrid, quietly murmuring to himself, "The Ecclesiastical Court, the Asian Daoist Alliance, the Gods' Alliance—they’re all here. Then... where is the fourth party?"

A strand of Aredia’s hair, as she leaned against a large boulder, suddenly ignited. Two blazing beams of fire shot from Aredia’s crimson eyes as she spoke in a low voice, "East, twenty kilometers. At least twenty thousand people are advancing rapidly. A little treasure I sent out was crushed to pieces."

With a beckoning gesture, a tiny, translucent red midge, the size of a green bean, fluttered out from Aredia’s fingertip.

Gu Xichen clenched his fist tightly and smiled with satisfaction.

"They truly haven't disappointed me. The Romans have arrived."

"As long as the Ecclesiastical Court suffers heavy losses at the hands of the Romans, they won't be able to gain any advantage on Paradise Star, will they?"

Ingrid chuckled a few times and turned his head away.

Gu Xichen also laughed a few times, turning his head to the side as well.

Alright, it's the weekend, and tomorrow begins a new week... and soon it will be a new month... Comrades, work hard to throw your votes! Let's build up some momentum for the pig's explosive chapter! Hehe... saving up and getting ready to write...