The sight of Gu Xiebei shocked Heng, but his home planet. That place called the Thin Evil Federation—were there over two thousand people there comparable to his strength? And two or three hundred people hundreds of times stronger than him? What was such a race if not a collection of monsters? The Star Alliance had at least tens of trillions of citizens. But among so many people, how many Venerables were six-star?

Fu Yaming looked at Gu Xichen with a mixture of shock and delight, feeling a surge of warmth flow through her heart, so much so that she almost forgot what to say.

Pressing her lips into a slight smile, Gu Xichen declared with overwhelming dominance, "The Asian Dao Alliance has always possessed a very poor habit, and that is spoiling our own. What we call spoiling our own means: if someone outside provokes me, they help me fight them; if I provoke someone, if I win, they help me clean up all the mess; if I lose, they will mobilize their entire force to fight them for me. We are a very unified gang of thugs. The core principle of the Asian Dao Alliance can be summed up in one sentence: only we are allowed to bully others; no one else is allowed to bully us!"

Fu Yaming stared blankly at Gu Xichen, finding the core tenet of the Asian Dao Alliance—this strange, violent collective—utterly adorable.

Gu Xichen smiled at Fu Yaming and said gently, "Fuya, you are my Queen. If you wish, my Master, who is one of the mightiest Grandmasters of the Asian Dao Alliance, would be delighted to take a Queen as a disciple. Well, spreading the glory of our lineage, put plainly, means recruiting many disciples and expanding the faction's influence. This is the greatest pleasure of all the Grandmasters in the Asian Dao Alliance."

Fu Yaming seized the sleeve of Gu Xichen’s robe, looking up at him with a joyous smile, "I am willing to become his disciple. Did you know, becoming a powerful Adept has been my dream since I was small?"

Jin blinked her eyes at Gu Xichen, her small mouth pouting first to the left, then to the right, mumbling indistinctly. What Gu Xichen had just said had shocked her to her core. She suddenly felt as though Gu Xichen was radiating a mesmerizing golden light all over him—he was an exceptionally precious golden doll. Jin's petty calculations began to spin wildly. She increasingly desired to bind herself to Gu Xichen using some unscrupulous means. Suddenly, the communicators in Gu Xichen’s and Fu Yaming’s hands both emitted a "beep-beep" sound. The Foreign Minister of the Yafik Kingdom cautiously informed them that the envoys from the Lewu Kingdom and other nations had arrived. He sought Fu Yaming's instructions on how to receive these envoys, whose arrogance, though slightly dampened, remained overbearing.

The Fuyao Fan lightly tapped Fu Yaming’s shoulder. Gu Xichen stood up and chuckled, "Envoys should be dealt with by people of equal standing. Let me go and welcome these old Dukes."

"Mmm, can you fetch Miao Hua for me? He is the best candidate to deal with these fellows. In a way, politicians and hoodlums make excellent opponents for each other."

Upon hearing Gu Xichen's words, Fu Ya laughed enchantingly, quickly ordering a maid to fetch Peng Hua.

Gu Xichen gave another slight smile toward Ya, nodding his head. "In my homeland, apart from the Asian Dao Alliance to which my sect belongs, there are two other religious organizations whose power is extremely formidable. One is the Vatican Papacy, and the other is the Pantheon of Gods. They once possessed power comparable to our Asian Dao Alliance during certain periods. Mmm, these three organizations form a massive institution called the 'Dark Alliance.' In a sense, the Dark Alliance is the true ruler of our homeland."

Clang! Jin, who had just managed to stand up, lost her footing and crashed onto the nearby round table, nearly flattening her small face.

Even Fu Yaming stared at Gu Xichen in utter horror. If the Asian Dao Alliance alone was this terrifying, how could there be two other organizations of similar strength? Was the Earth Federation truly a nation where only monsters could survive?

Gu Xichen leisurely departed the hall where everyone was resting.

Fu Yaming watched Gu Xichen’s receding back, feeling a sense of security she had never known before wash over her.

Jin scrambled up from the table, her face contorted in anger as she glared at Gu Xichen’s back. Suddenly, she flung her arms around Fu Yaming’s waist, "Sister Fuya, I have a truly wonderful suggestion! We are good sisters, aren't we? If we each marry different men in the future, wouldn't that weaken our sisterly bond? I think we should both marry Lord Xichen together! What do you think of this proposal?"

Jin’s eyes sparkled with starlight as she spoke dreamily, "When Lord Xichen becomes my husband, I will overthrow my father who constantly nags me, and make Lord Xichen the Grand Chief of the Broken Hook Adept Group. Hehe, I will make the Broken Hook Adept Group the biggest pirate organization in the entire universe! One day, I will plant the flag of Broken Hook atop the roof of the Star Alliance Headquarters!"

Taking a deep breath, Jin stuck out her crimson tongue and licked her lips, sighing wistfully, "By then, I will rob the Star Alliance Bank whenever I want, raid whichever merchant guild I desire... I will even turn... Lan Ming into a nation of pirates, and all Star Alliance citizens into... It's perfect. Too perfect!"

Fu Yaming stared coldly at Jin, then suddenly shot out both hands, firmly pinching Jin's cheeks and violently yanking them sideways. Fu Yaming hissed fiercely in a low voice, "Dream on! If all the citizens of the Star Alliance become pirates, who will you rob then?"

Blinking in confusion, Jin frowned and mumbled, "Then, make half the citizens of the Star Alliance pirates? Oh, that still doesn't work. But, are you agreeing to marry him with me?"

Gritting her teeth, Fu Yaming grabbed Jin and roughly tossed her onto the nearby soft couch, then marched out of the palace with a stern face, muttering under her breath, "Jin, you flirtatious little sprite, Xichen—!"

Ya shrieked several times, waving her arms wildly, and hastily jumped up to chase after Fu Yaming.

By the landing zone outside the Yafik Kingdom, Gu Xichen, surrounded by a cluster of Yafik officials, was laughing heartily as he advanced toward the grim-faced Duke Shenwu and his entourage. Gu Xichen waved his Fuyao Fan, his demeanor relaxed and natural, while the Yafik officials beside him looked somewhat timid. While the Yafik Kingdom’s planetary defense system maintained peace within their borders, it had also turned its citizens into gentle lambs. Facing a top-tier, powerful nation like the Lewu Kingdom among four-star civilizations, these Yafik officials felt somewhat intimidated.

However, there was still Gu Xichen, and Miao Hua, who was shaking his hands, shuffling with a swagger as if Heaven was number one and he was a close second, approaching from the distance.

Duke Shenwu was an ancient noble from the very pinnacle of the Lewu Kingdom; every pore seemed to exude the nearly decadent scent of old aristocracy. Despite having just been struck by Gu Xichen’s anti-aircraft cannon fire, Duke Shenwu maintained his composure, carrying the haughty pride characteristic of old nobles. From a distance, he extended his right hand slightly towards Gu Xichen.

"Lord Gu Xichen, thank you for educating Duolun for me," Duke Shenwu said, holding his head high, glancing at Gu Xichen from the corner of his eye.

Gu Xichen slowly fanned himself and then tucked the fan into his belt. He suddenly stopped moving and lazily extended his own right hand. His hand remained seven or eight meters away from Duke Shenwu's. Their postures were almost identical. Duke Shenwu only held his head up slightly, whereas Gu Xichen’s nostrils were practically pointed toward the sky. He couldn't even be bothered to look at Duke Shenwu, saying only indifferently, "Oh, that ill-mannered thing. Anyone would teach him a lesson upon seeing him. Duke, you are too polite."

Duke Shenwu’s body stiffened. Gu Xichen had clearly refused to shake his hand. With both sides having taken such a stance, whoever took a step closer to the other would lose face, and that prestige would be gone forever. Duke Shenwu was an established noble of the Lewu Kingdom; he absolutely could not lose this face. Gu Xichen had just disciplined the princes of three nations and gained a great advantage, and his reputation was currently rising within the Yafik Kingdom—he could not afford to lose face either.

The Yafik officials trembled, glancing back and forth between Gu Xichen and Duke Shenwu. Plutud, the Foreign Minister whom Fu Yaming had just pushed forward, habitually lowered his head and walked toward Duke Shenwu with a forced smile.

Duke Shenwu smiled, a hint of triumph playing on his lips. The Yafik people still dared not offend him!

Frowning, Gu Xichen grabbed Plutud by the neck and gently pulled him back, forcing Plutud to stand behind him. He stated plainly, "Plutud, do not let our Yafik honor be tarnished. It is better not to receive guests who think so highly of themselves!"

Plutud trembled, explaining to Gu Xichen in a subservient tone, "Your Excellency the Envoy, the safety of our Yafik trade convoys when they are away is always reliant on..."

Gu Xichen understood immediately. Yafik's internal defense was formidable, but their strength in space fleets was somewhat lacking. The safety of the Yafik Merchant Guild convoys while traveling relied heavily on the protection of nations like the Lewu Kingdom. He nodded slightly, "I understand. But it will not take long before our Yafik will have enough warships to protect our convoys."

The smile on Duke Shenwu's face froze. He stared coldly at Gu Xichen, his features rapidly turning ashen.

A burly man in a black uniform stepped out from behind Duke Shenwu. He slowly moved toward Gu Xichen, stretching out his hand—the back of which was covered in thick, long hair—toward Gu Xichen’s hand from quite a distance away. This brute roared with laughter, "Lord Gu Xichen, Prince Duolun is my disciple. I am his Prime Energy Mentor, Zu En, a Kingdom First-Rank Marshal! Haha! Your strength is quite..."

Whoosh! Zu En’s large hand shot out, carrying a scorching heat, aiming for Gu Xichen's palm.