The capital of the Yafik Kingdom, the City of Glory, was the most densely populated urban center on the planet Yafik, yet the Yafik populace residing within the roughly one-hundred-by-one-hundred-kilometer expanse of the City of Glory numbered only half a million. Vast stretches of luxurious castles and villas were dotted amidst dense jungles and shimmering lakes; this area represented the pinnacle of natural beauty and optimal living conditions across the entire planet Yafik, inhabited only by the nobility or the immensely wealthy—the cream of Yafik Kingdom's high society.

Binker resided within the Diplomatic Quarter of the Dokko Federation on Yafik. Situated in the furthest, most isolated corner of the City of Glory, the Diplomatic Quarter was separated from the nearest Yafik residential cluster by more than three kilometers. Consequently, whatever transpired here was unlikely to draw outside attention. This secrecy allowed the Dokko Federation to secretly stockpile three thousand elite troops and a massive arsenal of heavy weaponry.

"A perfect spot for arson and murder! I love how these fools place their legations on the city limits." Gu Xiachen stood atop the canopy of an ancient tree, gazing down with a smile at the Dokko Federation Legation three kilometers away. With his current vision, he could clearly discern a single missed patch of stubble on Binker’s jaw, and his unnaturally sharp hearing picked up every word of Binker's morale-boosting speech. "Holm! Take them out! These dogs deserve nothing less than death!" After taking a deep, satisfying drag from his cigar and slowly exhaling a cloud of smoke, Gu Xiachen gave the order. Holm, crouched on a thick branch, nodded once, his hand closing around the trigger of the three-meter-long sniper rifle.

In almost the exact same instant, thirty heavy sniper rounds, each the thickness of a child’s fist, slipped silently from the barrel, carving thirty massive arcs through the air. Without the slightest whisper of a sonic boom, they flew toward the Dokko Federation soldiers clustered within the Legation Quarter.

Bang. Binker, who had been wildly gesticulating to rally his troops, suddenly exploded into a mess of pulp. The bullet that shattered his skull, undiminished in momentum, continued its bizarre trajectory, whistling forward. Pap-pap-pap. Thirty-eight Dokko Federation Special Soldiers’ heads burst open simultaneously, spraying a mist of blood several meters wide. The remaining twenty-nine bullets, each following a vast curve, swept across the soldiers’ pre-formed ranks, pulverizing one thousand five hundred and ninety-seven skulls into dust.

"Holm!" He pulled the trigger again, and another thirty rounds roared out of the breech. Holm’s eyes were devoid of expression, staring at the chaotic, scrambling Dokko Federation soldiers like two dull glass marbles. Without surprise, more than half of the remaining thousand-plus Dokko soldiers were eliminated. Because many soldiers had already begun to roll and drop prone, the effectiveness of this second volley was not as pronounced as the first.

Before the remaining fewer than four hundred Dokko Federation soldiers could fully react, a group of towering, powerfully built figures erupted from flashes of violet light, materializing directly amidst the disoriented troops, accompanied by earth-shaking, maniacal laughter. Xin Jia punched one soldier, who had just raised an individual high-energy particle cannon, sending him flying. His mountain-like latent strength exploded outward; the struck soldier slammed into a group of comrades behind him, the immense pressure crushing the internal organs of over two dozen soldiers into powder.

Xin Yi charged with a roar into the densest concentration of soldiers. He slammed his fists downward, and thousands of pale silver spears, lances, swords, and halberds suddenly erupted from the ground. The piercing Qi of Geng Metal scattered everywhere, slicing dozens of Dokko soldiers into pieces before they could even pull their triggers.

Xin Bing bounced with a smile toward a group of thirty-odd Dokko soldiers who were frozen in terror. He politely cupped his hands toward them. A cloud of dark, misty vapor instantly billowed up from beneath him. The soldiers felt an intense, bone-deep chill, instantly losing all will. The thirty-odd corpses were flash-frozen into blocks of ice. Xin Bing lightly punched these statues, shattering them into powder. However, their combat suits and weapons remained entirely intact, all dropping perfectly onto the ground.

Xin Ding slowly swayed his massive frame toward a cluster of tightly packed Dokko soldiers. He smiled and snapped his fingers. Dozens of azure lightning bolts whistled out from the dense forest surrounding them, surging back and forth among the soldiers. In an instant, these unfortunate souls were electrocuted into charred remnants.

Xin Wu charged into the mass of Dokko soldiers, enveloped in firelight. The flames emanating from him were the Samadhi True Fire, capable of melting gold and refining iron. Wherever the raging flames touched a soldier, the body ignited fiercely, turning the flesh into fine white ash that scattered in the blink of an eye, yet not a single thread on their uniforms was even scorched.

Zhao Yi, Ji Huan, and the other five hundred Celestial Soldiers watched as Xin Jia and the others wrought such brutal efficiency, reducing the remaining Dokko forces to under one hundred in moments. They panicked.

With a rush, the five hundred sturdy men swarmed forward, four or five tackling a single Dokko soldier, pinning them down. Like a pack of lust-crazed bulls viciously assaulting a single, pitiful calf, they unleashed a barrage of crushing blows upon the Dokko soldiers. The dull thud of impact continued for thirty seconds, and then it was over. Nearly a hundred Dokko soldiers were beaten into a sheet of flesh stuck to the ground, blood plasma splattering everywhere.

"Haven't seen you brothers in years, yet you are still as ferocious! Hahahaha! Worthy of being the men I trained!" Mo Liqing planted his foot firmly on Binker's headless corpse and roared toward the heavens. A jade-green sword, faintly emitting countless wisps of misty cloud, rested on his back. The sword’s sharp aura radiated outwards, unable to be reabsorbed—clearly a newly forged immortal weapon that had yet to harmonize with its master’s spirit, unable to achieve the state of divine object concealment.

Mo Lihong gently caressed the magnificent umbrella in his hand, which glowed with sacred light and radiated a similarly aggressive sharpness. He rolled his eyes and sneered, "What do you mean, your men? I had a hand in training these brothers too!"

Mo Lihai glared, vigorously plucking the strings of the white jade pipa he held, which flashed with light. He shouted, "Xin Jia, the Lead Character First Battalion was my responsibility! Tell me, does that have anything to do with Big Brother and Second Brother? Hey—Xin Jia, why are you running?"

Mo Lishou completely ignored the bickering among his four brothers. He smiled, petting a small, palm-sized white sable resting in his hands, cheerfully picking up scattered bits of flesh and blood from the ground to feed the tiny creature. He muttered fondly, "Eat up, my darling, grow fast, grow fast... Ah, thank the Venerable One for his help this time; otherwise, it would have been so much harder for you to condense form and manifest a body! To achieve your transformation, the Venerable One even sacrificed a portion of his own soul origin!"

Gu Xiachen walked forward with his hands clasped behind his back. Hearing the loud argument among the four Mo brothers, he immediately rolled his eyes and barked sharply, "Are you that idle? So very idle? Aren't you going to change those clothes? Stop leaving your treasured implements outside where they blaze like beacons, announcing to the world that you are running amok here?"