Dozens of stumbling, reeling members of the Pantheon Alliance rushed over, their passage hindered by the gravitational chaos stirred up by the Hexagram Gate Formation. Each step they took looked as if they were severely intoxicated—thighs swinging wildly high while their lower legs flailed uncontrollably outward. Only their considerable personal powers kept them from collapsing entirely onto the ground.

It was at this precise moment that Xin Jia stealthily slipped close to Bobi Bi. Taking advantage of Bobi Bi’s complete mental disarray and sensory confusion, Xin Jia slyly jammed two divine spell scrolls into Bobi Bi's hands. Having completed his task, Xin Jia silently retreated back into the earth.

Bobi Bi seemed to feel something appear in his grasp, but he couldn't spare the attention to examine it immediately. This ancient Hexagram Wonder Formation, though perhaps simple for ancient cultivators, was entirely unknown to anyone in the current Ya Dan Dao Alliance, let alone the members of the Pantheon Alliance. Once this marvelous formation activated, everyone was thrown into utter confusion, unable to discern their location, the current year, or anything at all—everything was hopelessly jumbled. Bobi Bi was solely focused on rallying his comrades to form a defensive circle, paying no heed to anything else.

The Hexagram Wonder Formation, hastily constructed by Gu Xichen and Zhao Yi working together, lacked the most lethal artifacts that could have been integrated into its structure. Consequently, the grand array served only to dazzle and deceive the eye, possessing no real destructive capability. Nevertheless, Gu Xichen was the architect of the formation, and since the Cloud Roar Bell served as its core, manipulating it slightly was effortless for him.

Gripping the Cloud Roar Bell, Gu Xichen focused his intent. A mighty wind roared through the dense forest spanning over ten kilometers, and streaks of white mist coalesced into swirling, chaotic waves. Andre and Bobi Bi’s respective groups, unable to distinguish up from down or north from south, struggled within the great array for less than twenty seconds before they suddenly collided face-to-face.

Dong! Gu Xichen struck the Cloud Roar Bell with heavy force.

The pervasive white mist suddenly cleaved apart vertically, as if parted by Pangu creating the heavens. The mist beneath their feet remained only about a foot deep, while all the other vapor shot upward, transforming into a pale, azure sky less than a meter above their heads.

The space between these two layers of mist was filled with a wonderful, pale-blue radiance. Within this clear light, vision sharpened dramatically. Andre, standing scores of meters away from Bobi Bi, could clearly make out a speck of dried mucus clinging to the corner of Bobi Bi’s left eye!

Of course, Andre could also clearly see the two Level Nine divine spell scrolls tightly clutched in Bobi Bi’s hand! And the surge of holy power emanating from those scrolls was terribly familiar!

During the battle in the valley, the Bishop in white robes—who had just performed the Trinitarian summoning of the World Puppet alongside Jiao and De Lie—cried out in astonishment, “It’s you! You sent people to attack us!”

Andre’s face contorted as he stared fixedly at the scrolls in Bobi Bi’s hand, suddenly struck by a moment of profound realization!

The ones who had snatched their divine spell scrolls away in the valley must have been sent by Bobi Bi; otherwise, why would these scrolls now be in Bobi Bi’s possession? Recalling the agonizing pain of losing the protection of those scrolls, being brutally wounded by the sudden assault of Montetedi—to the extent that his heart was shredded into pulp—the killing intent surged through Andre uncontrollably.

If it hadn't been for the loyal Bishops at his side, who used vast quantities of divine spell scrolls to repair his body, Andre and his two capable subordinates would have been killed on the spot by Montetedi! But the sensation of his heart being churned into bloody mush by Montetedi was an experience he would never forget. Divine magic could mend the physical wounds of Andre and his aides, but it could not erase the terror seared into their very souls from that instant. In that moment, they felt they had gazed upon the face of Death itself, scythes whirling overhead!

“Bobi Bi! I am your father!”

Andre exploded, losing all control and cursing incoherently. In his rage, Andre crushed the three divine spell scrolls in his hand, unleashing the ultimate Level Nine wide-area group attack spell: Wrath of Heaven!

The clouds in the sky had already been tampered with by the Church forces when the Alliance entered the area. Those clouds, twinkling with a silvery radiance, were condensed holy light. Every single cloud held enough power to flatten a small hill. Now, with the activation of three Wrath of Heaven scrolls, three angels, each bearing four wings upon their backs, burst forth from Andre’s body. These towering angels, reaching a hundred meters high and shining with intense silver light, casually beckoned toward the sky. Tens of thousands of silver light-clouds in the air descended swiftly into their grasp.

The ground of Jade Essence Cliff began to tremble violently. Waves of intense, underlying kinetic energy spread outward. The picturesque landscape of Jade Essence Cliff slowly tilted and collapsed. The idyllic streams, small hills, and pine forests shattered amidst a resounding chorus of holy hymns. Two or three of the four-winged angels ascended high into the sky, their three massive forms suddenly merging into a single, blinding golden light that was impossible to look upon directly. This golden light, exceeding a hundred meters in diameter, burned fiercely like a miniature sun in the air, pouring down endless light and heat. The white mist of Gu Xichen’s hastily assembled Hexagram Wonder Formation began to evaporate rapidly under the golden glare, and the surrounding scenery gradually became clear once more.

Andre glared ferociously at Bobi Bi, roaring madly, “All of you, die! You are all sinners, accept the final judgment of Heaven!”

The golden light in the sky suddenly burst open, and a majestic palace, tens of meters tall, materialized in the air.

Rays of golden light shot down like swift arrows from the sky. These strange golden beams seemed tangible, creating successive sonic booms as they tore through the air.

Instantly, the sky was filled with overlapping waves of white shockwaves, pressing down heavily. Jade Essence Cliff erupted into pulverized dust amidst a storm of continuous, deafening explosions.

Gu Xichen clutched the Cloud Roar Bell; Xin Jia dragged his iron chains; Little Daoist Zhang shouted an ecstatic war cry while hefting his ancient brass sword; and Peng Hua cursed the entire female lineage of Andre’s ancestors.

...Every disciple of the Ya Sha Dao Alliance fled madly into the distance.

The dense golden beams seemed to possess eyes, tracking down toward the members of the Pantheon Alliance and the Ya Sha Dao Alliance. Every single person was allotted dozens of beams as thick as an arm. The simultaneous explosion of three Level Nine divine spell scrolls meant that even targeting nearly two thousand people, the power distributed to each individual was still equivalent to the full might of a Martian-level fighter—lethal force!

Little Daoist Zhang let out a piercing roar toward the heavens. Nearly a thousand disciples of the Ya Sha Dao Alliance simultaneously pulled out thick stacks of talisman papers. Judging by the thickness of the stacks, every person held at least two or three hundred spirit talismans.

Just as the Vatican’s Church, led by numerous Bishops beneath the Pope, had painstakingly drawn powerful divine spell scrolls, the disciples of the Ya Pai Dao Alliance also possessed various spirit talismans painstakingly crafted by their sect elders. Facing the perilous situation on Heaven Star, the elders of the Ya Sha Dao Alliance were not about to be stingy with these disposable treasures.

There was no time to worry about waste. The Dao Alliance disciples each spat out a mouthful of their core vital energy or vital blood to activate the talismans, flinging them all toward the sky at once.

The spectacular scene of two to three hundred thousand spirit talismans flying up simultaneously was one Gu Xichen felt he would never forget in his lifetime—a scene of absolute, dazzling grandeur.

The talismans, initially only a foot or so long, swelled rapidly upon contact with the disciples' vital essence and energy, expanding to lengths ranging from three to five feet, to as large as seventy or eighty feet long, soaring into the sky. Coloured light flickered across the surfaces of the inscribed talismans. These successively rising talismans covered the sky over several miles, layered one upon another, each radiating immense spiritual pressure—the scene was simply indescribable.

The vast majority of these talismans possessed power equivalent to the full burst of an ordinary Pluto-level or Neptune-level fighter. However, their sheer numbers compensated; the combined power of these lesser spells, utilizing the Five Elements, completely neutralized the golden light descending upon the Dao Alliance disciples. The remaining several dozen talismans, long and radiating golden light, were life-saving artifacts crafted with immense effort and dedication by the foremost experts among the Ya Sha Dao Alliance elders. Each of these formidable talismans packed the power equivalent of at least a full-force strike from a low-tier Gold Star fighter!

Dozens of these powerful talismans converged into a single beam of golden light, charging back toward the golden palace in the sky. Following a deafening explosion, the sky flashed wildly with golden light. The suspended ships and fighter jets of the Pantheon Alliance and the Church were struck by countless beams of light, triggering continuous detonations. All the vessels and aircraft in the sky were blown to smithereens.

Half of the palace was shattered into dust, and not a single beam of golden light descended upon the heads of the Ya Lin Dao Alliance disciples.

Gu Xichen and his companions ceased their engagement, seizing the opportunity to flee the scene at maximum speed. The Dao Alliance ships were docked in a valley adjacent to Jade Essence Cliff. At this moment, over a dozen vessels lifted off, perfectly positioned to receive Gu Xichen and the others as they rapidly retreated. Little Daoist Zhang immediately commanded, “All missions on Heaven Star have been successfully completed. We will now return to Earth to retrieve the personnel stationed at the base!”

Gu Xichen tucked the Cloud Roar Bell under his arm and looked down through the viewport of the spacecraft.

The two divine spell scrolls in Bobi Bi’s hand had vanished. The Pantheon Alliance members had unleashed vast quantities of black mist, desperately fighting off Andre’s onslaught.

Andre and his two subordinates chanted loudly, and streams of sacred silver light flowed out around them as massive silver puppets marched forth.

From the black mist of the Pantheon Alliance, countless two-winged imps, along with tides of Death Knights and skeleton soldiers, shrieked and charged forward, immediately engaging in fierce melee.

“Hoo!”

Gu Xichen let out a heavy breath, and lightly waved a hand toward the two warring factions outside the window.

“Farewell! If any of you survive today, we’ll settle things when we get back to Earth!”

“Heaven Star, farewell! When I return next time, a tenth of you will be mine!”

“And, Federation Expeditionary Force, I hope you manage to pull yourselves together; please don't lose Heaven Star to the Romans!”

"Gu Xichen, I'm coming back alive! Heh, heh, heh ha ha ha!"

Gu Xichen smiled silently.

Little Gu is returning to Earth...

A host of troubles await him; perhaps monthly passes can help him solve them! (To be continued)