The Alliance of Gods' warship drifted aimlessly across the vast emptiness of space. Through the viewport, the distant star cluster of Heaven appeared no larger than a grain of rice.

After a fierce battle with the Holy See and being ‘accidentally’ caught in a barrage of high-speed missiles fired by either the Earth Federation forces or the Roman Legion, only a single warship remained of the Alliance of Gods. Fortunately, leaders like Bobi Bi were unharmed, though a few had suffered injuries so severe they were still fighting for their lives in the medical bays.

In the spacious command deck, Bobi Bi and several companions of equal standing sat grimly around the command console. This entire expedition had yielded no profit; instead, they had lost their initial investment. They couldn't bear to imagine the punishment they would face upon returning to Earth. Especially for those currently clinging to life in the medical pods—some were protégés or nephews of major figures within the Alliance of Gods, and any failure to save them would certainly fall on Bobi Bi’s shoulders.

Sighing deeply, Bobi Bi clenched his fingers and cursed vehemently, "Those damned priests! Why were they so lucky as to find a thirteen-planet star system?"

Bobi Bi’s eyes were red with envy. Thirteen habitable planets—the Holy See had struck it rich this time! According to Federation law, the Holy See was entitled to the exclusive development rights of at least one planet, and given their political influence within the Federation high echelons, securing rights to two or even three was not impossible.

"These priests are about to surpass us in power!" Bobi Bi slammed his fist onto the command console.

No one else spoke; they merely exchanged stunned glances. The development rights to one planet, plus the associated mineral-rich satellite systems, meant they could easily deduce the Holy See’s future plans: secretly manufacturing warships, and even more, bigger warships! The Asian Dao League, the Alliance of Gods, and the Holy See—the three major powers—all maintained secret fleets, and the combined might of these three fleets even exceeded that of the Federal Military’s space fleet.

Bobi Bi rested both hands on the console, listlessly propping up his chin.

"Everyone, think about it. How will we explain ourselves when we return? No achievements, and instead we’ve lost so many warships and personnel. I certainly don't want to go back and be cursed by the Temple Elders for a thousand years!"

Everyone shivered. The internal regulations of the Alliance of Gods were notoriously strict, and the penalties for incompetent members were terrifyingly severe. Returning now meant certain suffering, not celebration. Compared to having one's soul extracted and enduring a millennium of endless incantations, Bobi Bi’s fate might actually be considered the lighter punishment.

Suddenly, the radar operator on the command ship shrieked, "Intense energy signature ahead! Heavens!"

All heads whipped toward the forward viewport. Directly ahead of the ship, space was violently distorting and rippling. A massive energy beam roared toward them. Wires and electronic conduits throughout the warship began erupting in dense electrical sparks. The main super-AI issued the most urgent 'Abandon Ship' alert and initiated the ship's self-destruction countdown.

"Abandon ship! Abandon ship immediately... This vessel will disintegrate in thirty seconds!"

"Twenty-five!"

"Twenty!"

"Fifteen!"

The super-AI recited the destruction timeline mechanically. Bobi Bi and the others were already traumatized by previous encounters, and this temporal anomaly had struck too suddenly for them to react. All eyes were fixed blankly on the violently twisting space ahead, their bodies stiff and unable to move.

"Ten… nine… eight… seven…" The super-AI’s countdown was unhurried. Seventy percent of the hull's outer armor plating began to melt, and numerous cracks were already spiderwebbing across the forward viewport.

Just as the warship seemed about to succumb to final disintegration, the anomalous space suddenly stabilized. A pitch-black jump gate appeared in the void less than ten kilometers ahead. Immediately following this, nearly a hundred tall Lycanthropes, over twenty bats whose wings were covered in crimson runes, seven or eight figures tightly enveloped in cloaks, and crowds of beings wearing bizarre, outlandish attire poured—spurted—out of the gate, as if someone had violently kicked them in the rear. These creatures tumbled end over end, smashing into the warship and sending it staggering backward several hundred kilometers.

A blinding light shot out from the center of the jump gate, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

These Lycanthropes, standing over five meters tall, the giant bats with wingspans of at least seven or eight meters, and the figures shrouded in dense black mist hovered in the vacuum. They gestured and chattered among themselves for a moment before pouncing on the Alliance of Gods' warship. Two Lycanthropes expertly ripped a section clean off the ship’s main hatch, and the group swiftly slipped inside. The last Lycanthrope conscientiously pushed the hatch back into place, carefully smoothing over the seams.

Bobi Bi and the others watched this unfold via the ship's monitors. The few Lycanthropes present within the ship trembled uncontrollably. The strength of those invaders was shocking; it was immense. The ship’s two-meter-thick hatch was forged from the Federation’s toughest alloy. The smaller Lycanthropes of the Alliance of Gods would have needed days of painstaking effort to barely chip away at such a barrier. Yet these two had simply ripped and clawed a gaping hole in moments.

This bizarre group stormed into the vessel. Along the way, the disciples of the Alliance of Gods were sent flying helter-skelter. None of their attacks had any effect on these intruders, yet a single casual punch from a Lycanthrope could send a dozen or twenty men flying. The group surged forward like an unstoppable tide, crashing into the command deck. An eight-meter-tall Lycanthrope kicked away the trembling Alliance of Gods disciple guarding the entrance and plopped heavily onto the command chair—the highest seat at the console.

The Lycanthrope shifted his bulk; relative to his massive size, the command chair was a bit too low, making his seating uncomfortable.

Clearing his throat, the Lycanthrope roared and snarled a few sentences in a loud voice.

Most of the Alliance of Gods disciples in the command deck were dumbfounded, but Bobi Bi, a few robed mages, and the two vampires had their eyes light up instantly. They understood the Lycanthrope’s speech. It was the 'Tongue of the Gods,' secretly circulating within the Alliance of Gods, inherited from ancient times. For the two vampires, the language the Lycanthrope roared was the 'Tongue of the Progenitors,' spoken by their most noble Thirteenth Clan.

The Lycanthrope’s roar meant: "You are now our slaves. Bring us the finest wine and meat. Oh, and fetch us a hundred or so pretty girls to keep the master amused!"

Bobi Bi cautiously stepped forward, stammering out a question in the barely familiar 'Tongue of the Gods,' "Your Excellency, may I ask where you hail from?"

The Lycanthrope smacked his forehead with his paw, the sound echoing like a heavy cannon blast. He scratched his cheek with his sharp claws and asked in surprise, "Oh? Strange, how do you little bugs know how to speak our language? Hey, interesting, interesting! I thought we wouldn't be able to communicate at all!"

Several more Lycanthropes crowded into the command deck. Hearing the first one speak, they all let out long, loud howls to the sky.

The long hair covering the Lycanthropes slowly receded back into their bodies, their forms twisting and convulsing rapidly. In the blink of an eye, several burly men nearly three meters tall stood before the stunned assembly. The leading Lycanthrope, exceptionally massive, swept his deep green eyes over everyone in the deck, then suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, Bats, come here! There are members of your kin here!"

Two enormous bats slowly squeezed into the command deck. A cloud of black mist rose from their feet, and when the smoke cleared, two handsome men, impeccably dressed, stood revealed. These two, whose heads were habitually tilted upward at a thirty-degree angle, glanced sideways at the two vampires in the command deck. One of them asked dismissively, "State your Clan and the origin of your bloodline!"

The aura emanating from these two men was the purest scent of the Vampire bloodline. The two vampires of the Alliance of Gods, sensing this power, had long since collapsed to their knees, their bones feeling like jelly. They stammered out their clan names and bloodline origins in the Tongue of the Progenitors.

"Hmph!" The two men were clearly surprised. They frowned and pondered for a while before one muttered hesitantly, "The Morcvai family? It seems there is a small family like that on the territory of that greedy old lecher who lives next door to our family. However, their clan is far too insignificant. Hmph, if I hadn't had several intimate and unrestrained 'exchanges' with a beautiful young lady from their family over a few nights, I probably wouldn't even remember such a minor lineage."

The leading Lycanthrope scratched his head. He, too, began shrinking his form into a humanoid shape, his fierce gaze locking onto the few lesser Lycanthropes in the command deck. "I am Gangro, the ninety-third Prince of the ancient and noble Silver Wolf Clan. You carry the scent of our kin. State your surname and the origins of your bloodline!"

An aura of savagery, ruthlessness, and supreme, condescending majesty radiated from Gangro, the high-tier Lycanthrope scent causing the small wolves in the command deck to collapse weakly onto the floor. Trembling, they recited their family surnames and bloodline details. Gangro coldly snorted in dissatisfaction. "Damn it, descendants of weak families, and the weakest of the weak at that—the White and Grey Wolf clans. Well, at least your bloodline is relatively pure; you count as our kin!"

Several figures shrouded entirely in thick black mist drifted into the command deck, clad in black robes. As soon as they entered, Bobi Bi and the other dark mages sensed an atmosphere intensely familiar to them. Facing an aura that surpassed their own by millions of times in terms of station, Bobi Bi and the others knelt respectfully in the ritual used by the great temples to worship the gods.

One figure, enveloped in black mist, let out a dry, cackling laugh. "Very interesting. This must be the gods' arrangement, isn't it? We were just exiled, and we run into these little fellows who have connections to us. It looks like we won't need much time to integrate ourselves into this world properly."

Two handsome men, their bodies crackling with purple lightning and their skin a deep blue, strode into the command deck. One of them smiled with satisfaction. "Indeed. Just arriving here, and we already have guides. There could be nothing better. Little ones, how strong is your influence here?"

Gangro interrogated even more minutely: "How many of you are here? How many people belong to the noble Lycanthrope tribe? How many cunning vampires? How many insidious dark mages? And how many of those damned Jötunn-kin? Hey, how much money do you control? How many beautiful women can you find for us? Do you have good wine? Do you have good meat to eat?"

Bobi Bi and the others dared not delay, reporting every detail of the Alliance of Gods' influence and personnel to these invaders. The dark mages were the most scholarly faction within the Alliance of Gods; their greatest pleasure was studying the various ancient texts passed down in the temples. Thus, they vaguely guessed the true origins of these beings—these were the Progenitors of their Alliance of Gods!

Gangro and the others listened to Bobi Bi's report with visible dissatisfaction, occasionally shaking their heads in complaint or nodding in approval.

"Damn it, fifty billion people? How can there be so many? And most of them live on a single planet? Haven't they eaten the planet raw?"

"What? You even share governing rights over this small planet with two other factions? You disappoint us immensely!"

"But, lots of stunningly beautiful women? And they can be easily seduced? Hmm, we still prefer using force!"

"Many virgin maidens with sweet blood? Strong. It seems this place of exile is not so bad after all."

"There is fine wine? Many different kinds of fine wine? Strong. I think those old fogeys who banished us made a huge mistake sending us here. Hmph, this star sector isn't nearly as terrifying as the legends claim. Where are all the vicious, fiendish experts?"

When Bobi Bi finished his report, Igero and the others smiled with contentment.

Excellent. Over fifty billion weak humans, weak humans possessing advanced civilization—this was virgin land waiting for them to conquer. Here, no matter how atrociously they behaved, they probably wouldn't face punishment from the Council of Elders anymore. If they conquered these fifty billion people, mastering Earth, Mars, Heaven Star, and the newly discovered thirteen planets, given the human reproduction rate, they could soon multiply into hundreds of billions, couldn't they?

Gangro said excitedly, "We must seize control here, allow humanity to propagate rapidly, and then we can establish a powerful Kingdom!"

The two vampires elegantly expressed their agreement with this plan. They felt that being able to act as they pleased here without restraint was immensely satisfying. It was as if they, the two brothers, had merely engaged in a half-coerced, deep, and unrestrained 'exchange' with the sole daughter of a certain great lord, only to be exiled to this desolate place by the Elder Council—it was too much! This place wasn't the hell of legend; it was truly a paradise!

Imagine: the faction established by these frail little creatures was already one of the three major powers. With their own might, conquering this entire star domain would be effortless!

Rubbing his hands with excitement, Gangro roared with laughter, "Then let’s start with Earth itself! Hmph, it’s just about time for us to work on shaking off those damned seals the executioners placed upon us. Once we regain our full strength, we begin the conquest of this entire star sector!"

Everyone in the command deck cheered, especially Bobi Bi and his cohort. The sheer relief of surviving washed over them, making them dance with excitement.

Returning with hundreds of Progenitor-level figures of the Alliance of Gods—what possible gain could compare to this achievement?