With the cultivation base of mid-stage Soul Transformation, his primordial spirit divided and his divine abilities vast—you fought him to a standstill? You..." The representatives of the Daoist Thieves, like True Man Lie, also frowned in confusion. Gu Xichen, unable to cultivate the Dao, even if he were a Mercury-level combatant? Wouldn't the Crimson Feather Witch King have strangled him to death already? How long could he last under the Crimson Feather Witch King's hand?

Gu Du Chen lifted his head, crying out amidst his tears, "Wuwu... So the senior Crimson Feather Witch King is even more formidable than the Withered Bone Divine Monarch? Wuwu... Senior Withered Bone Divine Monarch fought me for three hundred rounds without a clear winner... Wuwu..."

The Black Bamboo Witch King was dumbfounded. True Man Lie and the others exchanged awkward glances, while the Corpse Emperor burst into loud laughter.

Casting a gentle glance at Gu Xichen, who was weeping bitterly on the screen, the Corpse Emperor spoke in a soft voice, "Disciple, do not weep. Your Master will settle this score for you."

Boreas handed over a box of tissues. Gu Xichen wiped away his tears and snot, then flashed a radiant smile.

With a benign expression, Gu Xichen nodded and continued, "After a fierce battle, we broke through the crust of the Third Colony Planet and fell into a lake of magma. Amazingly, dozens of rare celestial treasures were growing there... Siren, bring those treasures out so everyone can see!"

Siren, Aredeya, and the others lined up before the light screen, displaying the Flame Orchid Essences in their hands to the crowd.

"Flame Orchid Essence!" Everyone in the Pyramid venue exclaimed simultaneously! The Corpse Emperor's cry was one of joyful surprise! True Man Lie's was one of envy! The great monks of the Plague Dispersion Temple were filled with jealous cries! The representatives of the Holy See and the Pantheon of Gods voiced cries filled with both desire and jealousy!

The numerous priests of the Pantheon shrieked and jumped about in furious agitation. Sharatman glared at the screen, roaring, "This... This... This... Bastard! This is utterly unfair! You Earth Federation cannot do this... I propose adding a new clause to the Seclusion Declaration, strictly forbidding the deployment of Boundary Soldiers on the front lines!"

No one paid any mind to Sharatman. They let him flail about, spitting saliva, without a single person acknowledging him. Sharatman roared in anger for a while, then suddenly slumped back into his seat, hanging his head in deep thought. No one knew what he was pondering.

A green-robed elder, who had been sitting silently conserving his energy, suddenly opened his eyes wide in alarm. He stared at the thirty-six Flame Orchid Essences in Siren and the others' hands, then shouted suddenly, "Corpse Emperor, my Old Jun Valley is willing to refine the Flame Orchid Essence for you free of charge! We only require thirty percent of the finished product! Consuming them directly like this is a dreadful waste, a sheer waste!"

The Corpse Emperor placed his hands behind his back and said leisurely, "These are treasures obtained by my good disciple. You discuss it with him!"

The Corpse Emperor had a clear understanding. Old Jun Valley was the sect most skilled in alchemy in the cultivation world. Alchemy relied entirely on controlling the heat; thus, over ninety percent of the cultivators in Old Jun Valley practiced fire-attribute cultivation techniques. While the Flame Orchid Essence in Gu Xichen's hands would only enhance the strength of Siren and the others, allowing them to rapidly reach the peak power they could attain in a short period, if refined into spiritual pills by Old Jun Valley, the pills made from thirty-six Flame Orchid Essences would be enough to yield two hundred additional Golden Core stage cultivators for Old Jun Valley, and their fire-attribute true essence would be purer than those painstakingly condensed by oneself!

Secretly making a gesture toward Gu Xichen that meant to strike hard and extort mercilessly, Gu Xichen understood immediately and smiled. He nodded courteously toward the elder from Old Jun Valley with a warm expression, "Senior, the name of Old Jun Valley is known throughout the mortal world! Regarding the Flame Orchid Essence, this matter is negotiable... negotiable... This junior also possesses thirty-six Flame Orchid Flowers still bearing fruit... Hahahaha, everything is negotiable, perfectly negotiable."

The green-robed elder breathed a sigh of relief. He nodded, "Indeed, indeed, everything is negotiable. I am Refiner Tai from Old Jun Valley. Once I return to Earth, I will seek you out."

Gu Xichen smiled even more cheerfully, nodding repeatedly, "A pleasant cooperation!" Refiner Tai paused for a moment, then smiled as well, chuckling in a very businesslike manner, "A pleasant cooperation!"

The Black Bamboo Witch King's dark face had flushed pale with anger. He roared, "Earth Dark Alliance, are you just going to let people violate the 'Seclusion Declaration'?"

Gu Xichen smiled without speaking. The Corpse Emperor said lightly, "The death of the Crimson Feather Witch King doesn't really count as violating the Seclusion Declaration, does it? A dignified late-stage Soul Transformation senior ambushed a junior who cannot cultivate the Dao, and was ultimately killed by the junior's counterattack... Hmm..."

The Black Bamboo Witch King raged, "How could this brat have the ability to kill Crimson Feather? He colluded with outsiders to kill Crimson Feather! If you, Corpse Emperor, didn't personally intervene, then he definitely colluded with outsiders!"

Gu Wu Chen hastily cried out, "Wait a moment, Senior Black Bamboo Witch King, you cannot falsely accuse me! Colluding with outsiders? Who did I collude with?"

The Black Bamboo Witch King sneered, "Who you colluded with, only you know! By killing Junior Brother Crimson Feather, you are violating the Seclusion Declaration, disrupting the harmony within the Asian Daoist Alliance, and destabilizing the Dark Alliance!"

Que Hua, who had been silent all along, suddenly leaped up. He pointed at the Black Bamboo Witch King on the screen and roared, "Spit out a load of multi-colored soybean particle nonsense! Are you lot, the Three Witch Sect dogs, allowed to bully others with your seniority? Damn it, you claim to be venerable Masters, yet you have the gall to sneak-attack a junior and don't even dare to do it on Earth, forcing people to the Third Colony Planet for an ambush! What kind of Masters are you? What kind of Seniors?"

Que Hua stomped his feet and cursed loudly, "You are just a bunch of shameless Masters! A group of seniors who deserve to die! What kind of bullshit Three Witch Sect? You might as well rename yourselves Three Saunas! Hey, I know plenty of escorts in Paris, should I recruit some new members for your Three Sauna Sect?"

"You, you!" The Black Bamboo Witch King's face turned nearly transparent with rage! He stared fixedly, his mind racing, feeling a mouthful of blood churning in his throat, almost spitting it out.

True Man Lie and the others remained silent. The Black Bamboo Witch King had utterly brought disgrace upon himself!

The representatives of the Holy See and the Pantheon of Gods, like Gu Deli, watched Que Hua's fit of rage with smiling faces. They wished he would curse even more viciously; it was absolutely splendid cursing! Internal conflict within the Asian Daoist Alliance? Oh, this kind of good show wasn't seen often! If it weren't for this good show of internal strife, why would Gu Deli have bothered supporting the Black Bamboo Witch King?

The Corpse Emperor took out a small ceramic wine jar from his sleeve and slowly sipped the strong liquor. He watched with great appreciation as Que Hua unleashed all sorts of unimaginable venomous language upon the Black Bamboo Witch King, letting out a hearty 'Heh, heh, heh,' "Black Bamboo, Black Bamboo, you courted this humiliation yourself! Don't blame my teaching of my disciples; you deserve it!"

The Black Bamboo Witch King glared at the Corpse Emperor, pointing a trembling finger at him. The light in the Corpse Emperor's eyes shifted constantly, and the Black Bamboo Witch King couldn't fathom what he was thinking.

After sneering for a good while, the Corpse Emperor waved his hand and chided, "Enough, Que Hua, where did you learn all this nonsense? The Black Bamboo Witch King has profound cultivation and towering wisdom; how could he be the product of inbreeding? Enough, you must show respect to your elders! Ah, Xichen, tell me, how exactly did you kill the Crimson Feather Witch King? Even if that fellow wasn't ambitious, he was still a Soul Transformation stage expert!"

True Man Lie and the others pricked up their ears. If Gu Xichen, who was said to be inferior to the Golden Core stage, could kill a Soul Transformation expert, this was truly astonishing!

Gu Wu Chen sighed deeply. He shook his head, "Master, it was already difficult enough for your disciple to snatch the thirty-six Flame Orchid Flowers; how could I possibly kill Senior Crimson Feather Witch King?"

The Black Bamboo Witch King roared furiously, "Don't lie! If you didn't kill Junior Brother Crimson Feather... why did his Natal Primordial Token explode?"

Gu Du Chen sighed, fumbled inside his sleeve for a moment, and slowly pulled out a data chip, inserting it into the communicator.

The image on the light screen shifted, revealing a vast expanse of boiling magma. A muffled roar drifted over. A Fire Dragon Lizard slowly crawled out of the magma. It glanced around lethargically, then spewed out a stream of flames. The image on the screen shook violently for a moment before vanishing in a flash of blinding white light.

"What is this!" The Corpse Emperor frowned.

Gu Xichen showed a relieved smile of 'having survived a catastrophe,' his voice dry as he said, "This is an ancient primal Fire Dragon Lizard! This Fire Dragon Lizard possessed extremely strong power. As soon as it emerged, it engaged Senior Crimson Feather Witch King in a fierce brawl. Your disciple seized the opportunity to snatch the thirty-six Flame Orchid Flowers and flee. As for what happened next, I do not know."

Que Hua chuckled strangely, "What else could have happened? The Crimson Feather Witch King was certainly eaten by that Fire Dragon Lizard. Perhaps he has already turned into fertilizer to enrich the fields. Ha, maybe in a few thousand years, even more Flame Orchid Flowers will sprout on that spot, all thanks to Senior Crimson Feather Witch King's contribution!"

The Black Bamboo Witch King spat out a mouthful of blood. He roared in fury, "Fire Dragon Lizard? Fire Dragon Lizard? There are such things on the Third Colony Planet?"

Gu Xichen and Que Hua exchanged a look, remaining silent. There were indeed Fire Dragon Lizards on the Third Colony Planet, but that particular one hadn't matured yet and was blown apart by two cannon blasts!

The Corpse Emperor stated calmly, "Very well, the sequence of events is clear. My two disciples are blameless in this matter. Black Bamboo Saint King, on the contrary, your Three Witch Sect has repeatedly harassed my disciples. This matter, I need to discuss thoroughly with you!"

The light screen dimmed. The Corpse Emperor and the Black Bamboo Witch King went off to the Dark Alliance Council to have their thorough discussion, and this affair no longer concerned Gu Xichen in the slightest.

Glancing at Que Hua, Gu Xichen suddenly revealed a wicked smile. The Crimson Feather Witch King surely died without peace, didn't he?

As for the Black Bamboo Witch King, since he was foolish enough to bring this shameful affair before the Dark Alliance Assembly, the resulting consequences would be more than enough for him to handle.

While the group was still calculating what punishment the Black Bamboo Witch King would receive, sounds of astonishment echoed from the courtyard of the mansion.

"Oh my, Boundless Celestial Venerable, the Buddha's mercy, Amen! This house is huge, so magnificent! Tsk tsk, so corrupt!"

A familiar voice rang out. Gu Xichen rushed to the window and saw, as expected, that Daoist Little Zhang was strutting in with a host of elite disciples from the orthodox and heterodox branches of the Daoist Alliance.

A plump little monk with a gleaming bald head impatiently patted his belly. He bellowed, "What's the use of a house? Bright white fatty pork is what's real! Oh, Daoist Brother Gu Xichen, Senior Brother Gu, we came to help you hunt the King of Hell. Hurry up and treat us to two 'tons' of good stuff!" He said seriously, "That's two tons of meat, not two meals or two rounds!"

The nimble little monk, also an old acquaintance, snuck up from behind, his eyes fixed greedily on the statue of the Goddess of the Fountain, grinning with the utmost lewdness.

"Why did they come?" Gu Xichen felt a headache coming on.

"Why shouldn't they come?" Que Hua looked at the group of good brothers with a smile, saying proudly, "Aren't I trying to recruit experts for the Special Operations Bureau!"

Gu Xichen's eyes lit up. He hopped straight out the window and hurried forward to greet them.