"If it were you, would you do it?" Vagri glared at Gu Xiechen, his eyes cold as he sneered, chin held high, "Compared to the profit I'd gain by finishing you off, what's a little breach of trust on my part? What does it matter if I disregard my oath and plot against you behind your back? I can only say... the God of War is not on my side, for you have repeatedly escaped."

"Is that so?" Gu Xiechen looked seriously at Vagri and nodded slowly, seemingly unconcerned.

"It seems so. You're quite frank. Facing such a ** [Note: The original text uses a placeholder or untranslatable term here, maintaining the structure], I too might resort to some treachery. But why did you target the Hell's Angels Mercenary Group and my brothers? They never provoked you, did they?"

"That was at the request of the Romans. Borugin and Yakjin, from the First Elector Family of the Romans, offered me a massive amount of advanced technical data to wipe out the Hell's Angels Mercenary Group to appease their honor! You know how seriously the Romans take their honor; this was their inevitable revenge," Vagri said with a bitter smile. "Since I was going to kill you anyway, eliminating the Hell's Angels Mercenary Group was just a side task."

Gu Xiechen finally understood the entire sequence of events. He looked deeply at Vagri and smiled, "Now that you can't kill me, what are your thoughts?"

Vagri shook his head, his face grim, and remained silent.

"Uh, how about I give you a chance?" Gu Xiechen said with a smile. "Vagri, how about you become my friend instead of my enemy? Your dream... I will help you realize it."

Vagri watched Gu Xiechen with mocking disbelief and constant laughter. "You help me realize my dream? On what grounds?"

Gu Xiechen put away his tri-edged military spike and spoke to Vagri with great confidence. "What you desire is for the Gu Group to become a vassal of the War God Hall. I will certainly reclaim the Gu Group eventually, and you will still get the credit then—it will just be delayed by a few years."

Pointing at the treasures on the floor, Gu Xiechen continued, "Form a true alliance with me, and you can have these treasures right now. At your level, you don't lack money, but more money is always better, isn't it? No one has a feud with wealth! More importantly, by aligning with me, you can also establish ties with the Asian Dao Alliance. Having more friends certainly makes the path smoother. I assume your War God Hall wouldn't mind forming alliances with several powerful factions within the Asian Dao Alliance, would they?"

Vagri lowered his head, contemplating Gu Xiechen's proposal. His life was currently in Gu Xiechen's hands. If Gu Xiechen could truly retake control of the Gu Group in a few years, cooperating with him clearly held no disadvantage. If he could truly secure secret alliances with several influential sects in the Asian Dao Alliance through Gu Xiechen, it would be highly significant for both the War God Hall and those sects. As Gu Xiechen said, the path is smoother with more friends, right?

The Douzhou Dao Alliance, the Pantheon of Gods, and the Vatican Church—these three major organizations dominated their respective spheres and were constantly competing within the Federal structure. Gaining the support of several powerful allies in the Yasha Dao Alliance would undoubtedly allow the War God Hall to quickly assume a dominant position within the Pantheon of Gods.

For instance, when the God of War's representative competed with representatives from other Halls for an important Federal position, if the Yasha Dao Alliance representative leaned their votes slightly, the benefits gained by the War God Hall would be immense.

General Vagri stared blankly at Gu Xiechen, continuously weighing the conflicts of interest.

Gu Xiechen leisurely picked up the wine bottle and sipped it slowly. He chuckled lightly, "Perhaps just gaining a few allies within the Dao Alliance would be enough merit for you to become an Illustrious Warrior. Dear General Vagri, becoming an Illustrious Warrior easily, versus risking everything by opposing me... oh no, it's not risking opposition anymore, it's that you are currently facing the direct threat of death... Do you really think maintaining your agreement with Gu Juechen is necessary?"

Vagri's eyes flickered as he tensely analyzed Gu Xiechen's words. Perhaps Gu Xiechen was right; if he could secretly ally with several Dao Alliance sects through Gu Xiechen, this achievement alone could make him stand out in the War God Hall. This merit was tangible. Although the War God Hall ranked highly within the Pantheon of Gods, it had always been suppressed by powerful sects like the Temple of Misfortune and the Temple of Death. If they could secure support from the Dao Alliance...

"How can I trust that you have the ability to forge an alliance between several influential Dao Alliance sects and our War God Hall?" Vagri looked at Gu Xiechen suspiciously. "You are currently sheltered under the wings of the Asian Dao Alliance. What makes you think you can facilitate this alliance?"

"Of course I have that ability!" Gu Xiechen burst out laughing. "You should know that your high-altitude satellite discovered a dense forest shrouded in white mist... Just a few hours ago, Yulice ambushed us in that very forest! Do you know what that place is?"

Gu Xiechen clapped his hands—pat, pat, pat, pat—and recounted to Vagri how his group had explored the underground palace of Fairy Jin and acquired a massive amount of magical artifacts. He chuckled, "See? Given my current importance to the Asian Dao Alliance, facilitating this friendship should be quite easy, shouldn't it?" Planet Heaven held relics of ancient cultivators, ruins protected by numerous powerful restrictions and formations. Coincidentally, one of Gu Xiechen's Realm Puppets could easily decipher these formations and restrictions! Vagri quickly grasped the implications and exclaimed, "Damn it, you are like... well, they will fight to win you over! Have you decided which Dao Alliance sects you'll ally with for us?" Gu Xiechen stated plainly, "The Yuntai Temple of Mount Zhongnan's Back Mountain Peach Valley and the Nine Nether Way? One orthodox, one heretical—they represent the righteous and evil sides of the Asian Dao Alliance, and they have a good relationship. Allying with them means you don't have to worry about their internal disputes affecting the War God Hall! Especially since the Yuntai Temple lineage has strong latent influence within the Federal military; they were behind the coercion to release my brothers this time. With their support, you might advance much further in the military!" Gu Xiechen continued in an alluring voice, "If you agree to ally with me, I can completely let bygones be bygones regarding past issues. I'll take the hit for your targeting of the Hell's Angels Mercenary Group. And that special military investigation team will never set foot on Planet Heaven. What do you say?" Nataya, lying on the ground nearby, groaned. She rolled her eyes upward, vigorously shaking her head, trying to make sense of the situation around her.

Wu Jia strode over and, under Vagri's pained gaze, stomped his foot directly onto Nataya's head. Nataya didn't even manage a sound before rolling her eyes again and fainting back into unconsciousness.

Gu Xiechen glared angrily at Wu Jia and shouted, "Be gentler! Gentler! Can't you see General Vagri is about to weep with heartache? Use your hand next time, not your foot!" "Yes!" Wu Jia roared deeply, grabbed Nataya, delivered a heavy punch to the back of her head, and dropped her to the ground again.

Gu Xiechen rubbed his forehead, shook his head in resignation, and offered a strained smile to the dumbfounded Vagri. "Wu Jia is a crude man, please don't take offense." Vagri sighed weakly, "I don't mind... A concussion isn't much. Modern technology can easily cure any lingering effects of a concussion." After a few bitter laughs, Vagri grabbed a bottle of wine from the nearby vehicle, pouring it down his throat while calculating the suggestions Gu Xiechen had offered. It was clear that if he refused Gu Xiechen's terms, Gu Xiechen would eliminate him without hesitation right then and there. If Vagri called his guards... the entire contingent had been wiped out by Gu Xiechen, and the innate warriors within the base were probably not enough for him to crush in one go. Moreover, before the guards could arrive, one Jupiter-level fighter was more than capable of killing Vagri a thousand times over.

"After this, I'm throwing those bastards in the base defense department into a military prison!" Vagri muttered fiercely to himself. "They are finished! They are absolutely finished! I'll send them to terraform on Planet Rosta, and I hope they all become fertilizer for the native monsters there! Those damned fools! The Romans don't engage in sneak attacks or assassinations, but... our opponents include the Hell's Angels Mercenary Group! They were derelict in their duty; they all deserve death!" Having secretly decreed the miserable future of an entire department of Federal officers, Vagri downed the entire bottle of strong liquor with a grim expression. The coarse black hair on the back of his hand slowly receded into his skin, and his knotted muscles gradually returned to normal.

"You win!" Vagri said dryly. "I fear death... and I have desires a hundred times stronger than ordinary men... a long lifespan, immense power, the authority to command the lives of thousands, seductive beauties, inexhaustible wealth... I have to admit, everything you described is an attraction I cannot resist." He chuckled bitterly, shook his head, "You win. If you can facilitate the alliance between Yuntai Temple, the Nine Nether Way, and our War God Hall, the power I command can be used for your benefit... My agreement with Gu Juechen is completely void. I can even help you deal with the Gu Group."

"You are truly smart!" Gu Xiechen gave Vagri a thumbs-up.

An arm slowly emerged from the study floor, followed by another arm. Then, Peng Hua's head smoothly drilled out of the ground, followed by his neck, and then his upper body... An eerie wind swirled in the study, accompanied by incessant, sharp squeaking noises. Peng Hua, trailing a chilling ghostly aura, slowly climbed out of the earth, perfectly staging the terrifying scene of a 'reanimated corpse.'

Vagri stared at Peng Hua in horror. After a long moment, he could only manage a wry smile, "The Nine Nether Way?"