Upon securing the formula for the alloy, Gu Xichen gained control over the city of Copenhagen, its surrounding satellite cities, and the underground settlements. Centered on Copenhagen, along with twelve nearby satellite cities and the fifteen to twenty-story deep underground habitations, the total population under Gu Xichen's control approached one hundred million.

All administrative officials, personnel from public security, procuratorate, and judicial organs were exclusively members of the Hadward Defense Company or the Tonggulas family of Siren. Within this territory, Gu Xichen's will superseded all else. Forty-seven factories and production lines, both new and established, operated here, employing millions of skilled workers. Furthermore, three massive new recruit training camps continuously supplied the Hadward Defense Company with loyal, dependable, and powerful new soldiers.

Copenhagen had become one of the vital hubs within Gu Xichen's faction!

Just as he was about to issue the command to steer toward Copenhagen, a fist-sized, pale green ball of phantom fire, trailing a luminous streak several meters long, shot like lightning through the assault ship's thick armor plating, past the multiple layers of specialized alloy shields and electromagnetic barriers outside the command cabin, and arrived soundlessly before Kan Hua.

Kan Hua froze for a moment, crushing the ball of phantom fire in his hand. Instantly, a spectral light flickered in his eyes, his long hair whipped without wind, and an eerie, ghostly aura swept the surroundings.

"Junior Brother! Master wants us to attend the ceremony! It's a grand spectacle! The Laojun Valley has refined thirty-six Void-Breaking Pills. The thirty-six strongest Nascent Soul Grandmasters of the Asian Dao Alliance are about to advance to the Void Breaking stage!" A faint flush of color appeared on Kan Hua's pale face; clearly, his excitement was extreme. Gu Xichen felt a surge of warmth in his chest, his internal blood circulating wildly, his face turning purplish-red!

Void Breaking stage? Thirty-six Void Breaking Grandmasters? Well, of course Gu Xichen wasn't going to be calm. The Asian Dao Alliance’s strength was soaring, which meant Gu Xichen’s backing was becoming increasingly solid—this was tremendous news! If the Asian Dao Alliance had thirty-six Void Breaking Grandmasters a year ago, would the Curia or the Pantheon dare touch a single hair on Gu Xichen’s head? Especially since Gu Xichen had excellent relations with the Asian Dao Alliance; apart from the Three Witches Sect, which held a grudge against him, he maintained very good rapport with all other orthodox and unorthodox sects, meaning the support he could garner would be immense!

Taking a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in his heart, Gu Xichen said calmly, "Excellent. Let's go now. Where are they preparing to take the Void-Breaking Pills?"

Kan Hua gesticulated wildly with a laugh, "Taking the Void-Breaking Pills to advance to the Void Breaking stage might trigger Heavenly Tribulations, causing too much disturbance. One or two might be manageable, but thirty-six Void Breaking Grandmasters appearing at once—Master and the others fear the Curia and the Pantheon might have designs, so they want us to mobilize the fleet to escort the esteemed seniors to the Moon for their ascension!"

As soon as the words fell, a light screen shot down. Du Lang utilized his supreme communication privilege as Chairman of the Military Department to forcibly connect with Gu Xichen. Du Lang, beaming with joy, laughed until his eyes narrowed into slits: "Xichen, let's all go watch! The entire Moon Special Administrative Region is staffed by my Du family. The seniors ascending there will certainly be safe!"

Gu Xichen wasted no time—this was a joyous occasion! He immediately mobilized all the new-generation South Heaven Gate-class and North Heaven Gate-class warships at his disposal. After converging with the massive fleet commanded by Du Lang, the imposing armada rushed to the back mountain of Mount Taibai, where Laojun Valley was located, to pick up the Corpse Emperor and the other high-ranking officials and junior disciples of the Asian Dao Alliance who were observing, and then sped toward the Moon.

At Du Lang's direction, the propaganda department under the military headquarters publicly released a message: "To verify the combat effectiveness of the new warships, the fleet directly under the Federal Military Department Chairman and a verification fleet composed entirely of new warships will conduct an ultra-large-scale military exercise on the Moon's surface. All passing vessels are requested to actively avoid the exercise area. Any accidental firing will result in the responsibility falling entirely on the offending party."

The Federal Fleet and the Roman Fleet were locked in a life-or-death struggle in the Heaven Star Domain and the Thirteenth Chain Star Domain. Only a meager garrison fleet remained in the Solar System. Faced with the menacing exercise notice issued by the Earth Military Department, not a single warship dared approach the lunar surface. A few scouting vessels from the Curia and the Pantheon had originally intended to sneak around to the dark side of the Moon for a peek, but after three South Heaven Gate-class heavy battleships intentionally or unintentionally test-fired a shot that nearly 'accidentally hit' them, these scout ships vanished without a trace.

After much effort, an unprecedentedly massive fleet established dozens of impenetrable defense perimeters on the far side of the Moon, ensuring not even a fly could get through.

In a low-lying valley, dozens of colossal energy shield emitters erected a massive shield spanning over ten kilometers wide and long. Artificial gravity engines rumbled deeply beneath the ground, generating an attraction force nearly identical to Earth's standard gravity. Dozens of ventilation pipes drawn up from the underground base were inserted into the energy shield, allowing massive amounts of fresh air to continuously pour in, quickly creating a breathable space on the lunar surface where people could move freely.

Gu Xichen hurriedly paid his respects to the Corpse Emperor. Before he could exchange more than a few words with the Corpse Emperor, an elderly Daoist, clad in a pale cyan robe, enveloped in a radiance like clear water, possessing a youthful face, flowing white hair, and an air of immortal elegance, floated into the sky atop a white cloud. The elderly Daoist smiled broadly, performed a salute to the surroundings, and over one hundred thousand Dao Alliance cultivators present immediately fell silent.

The old Daoist chuckled, performed a four-directional bow, and announced: "Greetings to all fellow Daoists, I, Baishui, offer my respects!"

True Man Baishui, also known as Dao Lord Zhimiao, was also called Daoist Xuan because of his profound magical power and subtle Daoist arts. However, regardless of what moniker he was called by, what concerned everyone was his identity: the Chief Master of the Kunlun Sect, the current Sect Master of the Kunlun Dao Lineage, a Grandmaster-level expert who had been at the peak of the Incarnation stage for hundreds of years, one of the foremost masters in the cultivation world, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Corpse Emperor.

Gu Xichen gazed at True Man Baishui. The old Daoist genuinely floated in the air, yet felt as empty as if he had dissipated into the atmosphere. While his features were clearly visible, he always seemed indistinct and impossible to truly focus upon—this bizarre sensation was unsettling. Especially the feeling True Man Baishui projected, which was strange, like seeing a great river descending from the Milky Way—vast, transparent to the bottom, rushing downwards, yet its origin and its destination remained unknown. "Profound, truly profound!" Gu Xichen sighed softly. If he possessed the strength of True Man Baishui, he probably could have forced Gu Juechen to submit long ago.

True Man Baishui smiled cheerfully. He turned to the Dao Alliance cultivators surrounding him and beamed: "Today is a great day; there is no need to choose—today is a truly auspicious day. Thanks to the favor of our young brother Gu Xichen, hehe, the Void-Breaking Pill, the Void-Breaking Pill that has been absent from the cultivation world for so many years—it has finally been refined."

The gazes of the Dao Alliance disciples simultaneously fell upon Gu Xichen. He generously returned a salute to the four directions and stood confidently beside the Corpse Emperor. Many elders within the Dao Alliance nodded their heads in appreciation; they greatly admired Gu Xichen's demeanor and conduct, as not everyone could remain composed under the scrutiny of a hundred thousand pairs of eyes.