Fu Ya.Ming took a deep breath, her tone solemn as she spoke, "But you must also understand that if I accept these three thousand battleships, then Yafik will be in deep trouble—very deep trouble. A peaceful and benevolent four-star civilization and a thorny four-star civilization are not colleagues. These three thousand battleships are enough to alter the entire political landscape of the Spiral Starfield."

"You fear trouble?" Gu Xiechen chuckled, looking at Fu Ya.Ming. This restless little woman; beneath her seemingly cold exterior burned a wild, raging fire!

"I like trouble!" Fu Ya.Ming proudly straightened her chest, declaring haughtily, "My life's greatest ambition is to see Yafik stand at the pinnacle of the cosmos! Not for a petty power like the Doko Federation to dare lay a hand on Yafik!"

"Iron and blood?" Gu Xiechen patted Fu Ya.Ming's hand.

"Iron and blood!" Fu Ya.Ming forcefully withdrew the palm that Gu Xiechen's large hand had covered, and without hesitation, swung a slap towards him.

His head jerked back, Gu Xiechen narrowly dodging Fu Ya.Ming's strike. He gave a wry smile, "I didn't intend to take liberties, please don't misunderstand."

With a cold snort, Fu Ya.Ming activated the craft, driving it forward again. "If you are unwilling to trade these battleships, then you must help me manage those thirteen old foxes. You take the blame; you are merely a mercenary I hired temporarily. If you disappear with three thousand battleships, this incident will have absolutely nothing to do with my Yafik."

Pausing briefly, Fu Ya.Ming continued, "Furthermore, in principle, I agree to share Yafik's scientific research achievements with you and train as many research personnel as you deem sufficient."

Her hand wavered slightly, and the craft slipped into a narrow ravine wedged between massive snow-capped mountains. Fu Ya.Ming halted the craft, gazing at Gu Xiechen. "However, judging Yafik's scientific crystallization by merely a thousand battleships is far from enough. I hope you understand one thing: if Yafik were as warlike as the Doko Federation, we would already possess enough military might to dominate the Spiral Starfield when my father ruled."

Yafik Planet’s planetary defense system was rumored to withstand the assault of one hundred thousand Tier One battleships. This showed that the kings of Yafik throughout the ages had invested all their wealth and resources into this system. The ideology of 'peace' and 'defense' had permeated the very cells of every Yafik ruler, with the exception of Fu Ya.Ming, this sudden anomaly.

Calculating based on the power of the Yafik Planetary Defense System, and considering the cost ratio between battleships and ground defense systems at one to twenty or fifty, coupled with the attrition rate of five to one or ten to one between battleships and ground defenses, if the Kingdom of Yafik had channeled the funds used for the defense system into battleship production, Fu Ya.Ming could currently command at least a thousand Tier One battleships.

"So, three thousand battleships are very tempting, I admit I cannot refuse this offer. But the bargaining chip is still too small." Fu Ya.Ming narrowed her eyes at Gu Xiechen. "Let's talk openly and honestly, shall we? Esteemed Sir Xiechen. Gu, I am very curious about where your homeland is; your demeanor is completely different from that of the Star Alliance citizens."

"Why do you say that?" Gu Xiechen looked at himself in surprise. Just now, on the platform, under the live broadcast devices of nearly a thousand media outlets, he had flawlessly portrayed the role of a scion from a traditional noble family. Why would Fu Ya.Ming still say this?

Fu Ya.Ming pointed at Gu Xiechen's eyes, saying faintly, "When you shot and killed those envoys in the grand arena, the killing intent in your eyes was ten times more intense than any of the top hundred ranked generals I have ever seen in the Star Alliance. How many lives have you taken personally to possess such potent killing intent?"

After a moment of silence, Gu Xiechen smiled, "Then, let us talk openly and honestly. I believe I can offer you satisfactory bargaining chips!"

Gu Xiechen swore inwardly: if even three thousand battleships don't satisfy her, then don't blame him for using his trump card. Hmph, at that point, he would introduce her to the Nine Nether Dao and have her become a disciple under the Granny Tiger, cultivating a set of demonic and evil arts. While she would be led astray, it would still be a form of entry into the path. Surely that chip is weighty enough?

From what Gu Xiechen had observed in recent days, the Star Alliance was a world where technology reigned supreme. Even psychics, those with special abilities, were extremely rare. Cultivators held incalculable value here.

On the peak where the duel had taken place, several Yafik officials commanded two engineering ships to slowly tow away the massive fighting platform. The thirteen princes lay sprawled on the stage, miserable and gasping for breath, like corpses. Nearly a thousand news relay ships swooped in, showering the thirteen unlucky losers of the duel with flashing lights. The miserable state of these princes was swiftly transmitted to thousands of households. Thus, all the major and minor powers within the Star Alliance—including the thirteen four-star civilizations, like the Lei Wu Kingdom—knew that the most powerful nations had suffered a crippling secret blow.

Given the rules of the Star Alliance, unless Gu Xiechen agreed to let people ransom back these three thousand battleships, these thirteen nations would lose the vessels forever. As a result, their military strength suddenly became incredibly close to that of some of the nations beneath them. Clearly, a hidden upheaval was about to commence.

Even the six-star civilizations standing at the apex of the Star Alliance fixed their gaze upon the Spiral Starfield, sensing the scent of profit emanating from the region.

On a nearby mountain peak, Kan Hua, who had also been watching Gu Xiechen’s back, sighed, "A storm rises suddenly; such are the tides of the martial world! Tsk tsk, unless Martial Brother is willing to return these battleships, bloodshed is inevitable—war will leave piles of corpses, the common folk will wail, and life will become unbearable. But what does it have to do with me? They aren't my kin!"

He spat a thick glob of phlegm onto the ground, Kan Hua excitedly calculating, "Let them fight, let them fight! Ah, I love stirring the waters and then netting the spoils. Hmm, maybe I can snag a few princesses? Tsk tsk, if their home country is destroyed, the princesses will certainly become slaves. How much is a slave princess worth? The hard currency here is silver; back on Earth, that stuff is used for wires, damn it, cheaper than fine steel."

A flash of bloody light appeared, and the Drought Zombie Tu Lou—who had vanished since the subspace anomaly—emerged from the crimson glow. She stretched languidly, letting out a faint groan.

A soft sigh escaped, and Kan Hua's bones felt as if they had liquefied. He sidled up to the Drought Zombie, bowing and scraping with a sycophantic smile, "Ancestor Han Ba, are you rested well?"

Han Ba complained tremulously, "Rested well? Alas, without the Five Elements Corpse Servants, how many years will it take for this venerable one's cultivation to return to its peak state? Was that brat Gu Xiechen fighting someone just now?"

Kan Hua fawned, "Yes, some reckless youngsters came looking for trouble with my Martial Brother, and ended up losing everything, even their trousers."

Her fair fingers, white as spring onions, grabbed Kan Hua's ear and spun it a few times. Han Ba sneered coldly, "You truly have prospects! Hmph! A cultivator possessing the Innate Body bullying a group of mortals who barely possess any strange powers. I simply don't understand how, below the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, you people, generation after generation, lose your sense of propriety and morality?"

Kan Hua, feeling the slick softness of the fingers holding his ear, smiled with extreme obsequiousness, "Aiyo, that is precisely why we rely on Ancestor for guidance! What about the Corpse Scripture?"

A light slap landed across Kan Hua's face. Han Ba scoffed, "Damn fool, the Corpse Scripture is an unparalleled treasure! Do you think you can obtain it just like that? If you want to cultivate the Corpse Scripture, fine. Kneel down, kowtow, and acknowledge me as your Ancestor's Auntie. If this old lady is in a good mood..."

Become Han Ba's disciple? The Corpse Scripture? Refuse to be Han Ba’s disciple? And then openly pursue her later?

Kan Hua battled fiercely within his heart. After a long moment, he glared at Han Ba’s mesmerizing face and coldly snorted, "Forget it. A mere Corpse Scripture is not worth my notice!"

"Oh?" Han Ba looked at Kan Hua with surprise. She shook her head, "The kid has some spine, but if you knew the renown of the Corpse Scripture across the Three Realms, you wouldn't be so stubborn. Hmph!"

Grabbing Kan Hua abruptly, Han Ba muttered lowly, "You watched the battle here; this venerable one was bored and let her primordial spirit roam. I discovered a peculiar place."

A hazy blood-light enveloped both Han Ba and Kan Hua, transporting them to the highest peak of Planet Yafik. Han Ba circled the platform, several li wide and long, a few times, then suddenly stomped her foot and dragged Kan Hua underground. Han Ba's evasion technique was miraculous; regardless of rock, mud, tree roots, or metal ore beds she encountered, she performed no transformation spells, passing straight through as if they were nothing.

In just a few breaths, Han Ba brought Kan Hua into a cavern beneath Planet Yafik.

It was a perfectly square cavern, about one li in length and width. The four walls, ceiling, and floor were carved with a colossal star chart. All the stars were sculpted from extremely pure spirit stones. The largest stars were the size of a human head, while the smallest specks of dust were the size of sesame seeds. These stars emitted a dazzling, dazzling light, causing a dizzying sensation as if all the constellations were spinning.

In the exact center of the cavern was a circular platform, three feet high, with a diameter of about a hundred meters. Embedded on this platform, refined nine times with Samadhi True Fire, was a massive formation diagram crafted from purple-gold silk. The diagram possessed three thousand six hundred fist-sized apertures, each containing a medium-grade spirit stone. A faint energy fluctuation occasionally propagated from the array.

Han Ba brought Kan Hua down from the cavern ceiling. The arrival of the two immediately alerted the occupants of the cave.