From the thicket behind, two semi-translucent phantoms suddenly lunged out. Still several meters away from Siren, the two pale blue, hazy figures unleashed a piercing screech as their ten-meter-long swords cleaved toward him.

The two expert assassins of the Phantom Clan launched a ferocious assault on Siren. Porphyris roared with laughter, raising his right hand’s high-energy lightsaber. Dozens of extremely fine lightning bolts split from the clouds above, converging around the lightsaber under Porphyris’s immense mental restraint to form a massive thunder-greatsword several meters long.

With a mighty bellow, Porphyris swung the blade fiercely at Siren, releasing a torrent of frenzied lightning as thick as a water vat, which shot straight toward Siren’s heart.

Siren suddenly smiled. From his fingertip shot out a needle barely an inch long, threaded with black, white, and red, though its body was perfectly transparent.

The bizarre, slender needle silently devoured the rampaging lightning and instantly materialized before Porphyris.

With a sharp pop, Porphyris’s energy shield dissolved into countless motes of light drifting away. The needle stopped precisely in front of his Adam’s apple. A chilling aura, sharp and aggressive, pierced directly from Porphyris’s throat into his internal organs, terrifying him so much that he raised both hands high, daring not to move an inch further.

Two fire dragons roared up from the ground, engulfing the swords of the two Phantom Clan assassins when they were still several meters from Siren. The dragons’ temperature was scorching, laden with terrifying thermal energy. The two semi-energy Phantom assassins shrieked as they were reduced to ash, their foot-long, semi-transparent short swords rapidly melting in the flames, dripping down as two pools of viscous liquid. “Screech! Screech! Screech!” A certain detection instrument on Porphyris’s body blared a sharp alarm. Restrained by the needle, he cautiously glanced at the small light screen that had popped up on his arm, unable to suppress a startled cry: “Instantaneous extreme temperature, seventeen thousand degrees Celsius! Damn it… Aredia, your powers have enhanced way too much!”

Aredia, her long hair flying and her body wreathed in flame, walked slowly to stand behind Siren. Her body blazed with intense fire, yet no heat wave escaped. She looked coldly at Porphyris, and suddenly, a fire dragon rose from the inferno surrounding her body, slowly coiling its thirty-meter length around Porphyris.

Large beads of cold sweat streamed down Porphyris’s face. He forced a dry chuckle. “A misunderstanding, truly just a misunderstanding… I only feel that as allies, as allies with a friendly acquaintance, your deception of our Menopolei family—hiding the existence of Paradise Planet—is unforgivable.” He swallowed hard, then added with a strained smile, “No, no, not unforgivable, but improper, unsuitable.”

Swallowing again, Porphyris stammered, “If you had cooperated with our family, Paradise Planet would already be our territory! Just think, a planet like that!”

Siren chuckled lightly. “Cooperate with you? I doubt a single speck would be left for us! So, I’d rather take the trouble myself, slowly accumulating strength to develop Paradise Planet. It’s a pity…”

Porphyris immediately seized the word. “A pity that the benefits are gone now?” Siren shook his head. “No, it’s that your Menopolei family won't get a single benefit now. Aredia and I have reaped quite a bit of profit, though compared to monopolizing Paradise Planet, this profit is negligible. But… it is enough. I have secured a decent position at the Hardtide Corporation. Hardtide’s prospects shine a hundred times brighter than the Holy Unicorn’s future.” He tapped his chest lightly. “I acquired a treasured sword, Aredia enhanced her strength, and I have this treasure!” His finger hooked slightly, and the needle circled Porphyris’s neck a full thirty degrees. The tip skillfully sliced through the outer layer of Porphyris’s skin. A thin sheen of blood slowly oozed out.

Porphyris touched his bleeding neck in horror, his eyes widening to their absolute limit. He shrieked in terror, “Heavens, I’m bleeding!” His body trembled violently. If the needle were not pressed against his throat, he likely would have fainted from the sight of his own blood.

Aredia cast a look of disdain upon Porphyris, and the colossal fire dragon slowly opened its jaws, engulfing almost half of Porphyris’s head.

More cold sweat poured down, mixing with the blood and rolling off him. Porphyris’s body shook incessantly, gradually shrinking lower, on the verge of collapsing to his knees. His face contorted, clearly adopting the posture of someone about to break down and beg Siren for mercy.

Dozens of Roman warriors poured out of the battleship, leveling their halberds from a distance toward Siren and Aredia, but not a single one dared to fire.

Siren walked up to Porphyris, the needle tracing a circle around the man’s neck. He floated up about a meter, lightly patting Porphyris’s neck. “Actually, we could still cooperate. Regarding Paradise Planet, I admit it was my fault. But if you harbor any improper thoughts toward Aredia, I will let you know what true death is!” Siren chuckled softly. “This Light-Dividing Divine Needle was obtained from Paradise Planet. After all, I managed things there for a while. It’s just that my luck isn’t as good as that fellow Gu Xichen’s!”

Porphyris completely ignored Siren’s other words. He just nodded frantically, smiling. “Of course, we can continue cooperating; we cooperated very happily before! Take the time we attacked the Hallstrom family’s transport ship, for example? What do you think? As for Miss Aredia, I have always respected her as if she were my own grandmother!”

Aredia’s expression snapped tight, and the fire dragon nearly swallowed Porphyris’s head whole. Porphyris was so terrified his face looked almost transparent.

After a moment of thought, Siren withdrew the Light-Dividing Divine Needle. He sneered, “There is a prehistoric ruin here. Gu Xichen has been inside for three days and hasn’t emerged yet. Perhaps he’s dead, or perhaps he’s having some great fortune inside…”

The moment he heard the words ‘prehistoric ruin,’ Porphyris’s eyes flashed with bright blue light.

“I’ll give you a chance: take your men and investigate what’s inside! If you can gain some advantage in there, consider it my compensation for the Paradise Planet matter!” Siren added dryly, “If you die inside, don’t blame me. Ruins always carry risks!”

The fire dragon dissipated. Porphyris, buzzing with excitement, rushed with all his subordinates toward the satellite city construction site at maximum speed. Only then did Siren notice three more capital-class warships hidden in the clouds overhead. Porphyris had brought thousands of Roman elites to settle the score with Siren!

The thought that he had just been targeted by the main cannons of three capital-class warships made both Siren and Aredia break out in a cold sweat!

“Why send that good-for-nothing there?” Aredia asked Siren, confused.

After a period of silence, Siren chuckled. “To give myself an explanation… If Gu Xichen makes it out safely this time, I will sincerely work for him. Didn’t you notice? Before we met him, we two were always smooth sailing, but after encountering him, everything we touched went awry. But after following him…”

Staring in the direction the Roman warships had departed, Siren said faintly, “I, Siren, am not one to stay subservient forever. If he can emerge safe and sound this time and gain enough benefits, then my decision to pledge allegiance won't feel unjustified. Perhaps by borrowing his good luck, we can achieve our goal?”

“The Tongulasian Family. What belongs to our Tongulasian Family will surely be returned to us!”