The colossal warship kicked up a gale, its plasma engines spitting flames with a deafening roar, the intense ionization of the surrounding air making the hair of everyone on the ground stand on end. Emissaries draped in robes made of specialized fabric waved a hand or lifted a foot, unleashing arcs of electricity that crackled violently from their bodies, causing them to cry out in excruciating ecstasy.

Duke Shenwu cried out, aghast, "Heavens, what ancient relic has this museum dug up? Hah! Even the antique warships from the Third Defensive War of the Lei Wu Kingdom that I have stored in my estate are ten thousand years more advanced than this heap!"

Gu Xichen’s face twisted into a grimace. His expression iron-hard, he gritted his teeth and grabbed Duke Shenwu’s shoulder, yanking him forward. "This battleship is ancient; it is from..."

Duke Shenwu jumped, trembling as he looked at Gu Xichen. He stammered, "Oh, no, no. But as a matter of noble honor, I must say, the technology used on this ship—our Lei Wu Kingdom discarded it nearly a hundred thousand years ago! Just look at those plasma exhaust flames; they are far too conspicuous!"

Gu Xichen suddenly broke into a radiant smile. He lightly patted Duke Shenwu’s shoulder and chuckled, "This Desolate Era-class battleship is the pinnacle of technology from the Hardwood Defense Corporation, which I founded. While it might seem primitive and dilapidated to you, to me, it represents the lifeblood of the finest scientists from my homeland, the Earth Federation!"

With a smile that didn't reach his eyes, he winked at the dumbfounded Duke Shenwu, Gu Xichen sneering with a chilling, dark aura, "I believe such a crystallization of effort holds great commemorative value. It embodies the unyielding, progressive spirit of a nation, a race. Therefore, you are quite interested in ordering ten Desolate Era-class battleships, aren't you?"

Clack. Duke Shenwu’s jaw nearly dropped to the ground. He stared at Gu Xichen, pointing incredulously at the slowly descending Desolate Era-class ship, muttering, "Order them?"

Gu Xichen rubbed his wrist and sneered, "Unwilling? I happen to have a deposition here from the leader of the Bloodfang Adept Group's Fourth Corps. I would be very happy to deliver it to His Excellency Youyou, the Administrator of the Star Alliance stationed on Yafike Star. I wonder what sort of punishment the Star Alliance levies against nations consorting with pirates? Forced civilizational regression, perhaps? Or total blockade?"

The emissaries from all thirteen kingdoms, including Duke Shenwu, swallowed hard. Under the strange gazes of the onlookers, the thirteen emissaries shakily raised their right hands. "Battleships possessing such commemorative significance—we are willing to order ten each on behalf of our respective nations!"

Gu Xichen stood with his hands behind his back, ensuring Duke Shenwu and the others fully understood what it meant to be a ruthless profiteer, what it meant to hold the highest ground for negotiation, and what a highway robbery sales pitch felt like.

"If this were a private procurement, ten might suffice. But since this is an order placed at a national level, I feel that one hundred is a more reasonable figure. What do you think?"

Gu Xichen gazed darkly at the thirteen terrified emissaries, then suddenly laughed. "Of course, I don't need the Star Alliance's standard currency. Starlight Silver? Oh, no, I'm not fond of that stuff. Though, I do have a certain fondness for Starlight Silver, but right now, I am far more interested in various pieces of scientific research data!"

Before the thirteen emissaries could speak, Gu Xichen lowered his voice to a volume just audible to them, chuckling softly. "Of course, one hundred antique battleships is a difficult quantity for you to account for. But what if there was a method of Origin Energy cultivation that could break through the Six-Star bottleneck? If you gentlemen are willing to form a permanent, stable alliance with the Yafike Kingdom and provide me with research data that satisfies me, perhaps this miraculous method might materialize?"

It was like a stone shattering the sky; Gu Xichen had thrown out such a massive bait.

The emissaries of the thirteen kingdoms were shaken so severely that their very souls nearly fled their bodies. They exchanged glances, a sharp glint flickering in their eyes. Unconsciously, the auras of all thirteen converged, clearly surging toward Gu Xichen.

Gu Xichen pursed his lips and smiled. The Origin Energy cultivation method painstakingly acquired by the Exorcist Knights over tens of thousands of years would be perfect for this. Hmm, perhaps he could even consider teaching techniques like the Blazing Little Dragon Palm to Duke Shenwu and the others? The legendary tales of the Earth Federation's ancient Huaguo province mentioned mystical manuals like the Sunflower Manual; the Blazing Little Dragon Palm was actually quite potent and unique.

The Desolate Era-class battleship finally settled firmly on the ground. Accompanied by the low hiss of the hatch pressure release valve, the massive door slowly swung open. Section by section, huge hatches opened, and rank upon rank of matte, three-meter-tall combat armor marched out of the vessel with heavy, measured steps.

Thump, thump, thump, thump. The footsteps of the combat armor were heavy, every single unit marching to the same rhythm. The dull impact of their steps turned the faces of the gathered emissaries ashen.

Thump, thump, thump, thump. The movements of all the armor were absolutely identical; thousands of suits moved as one, every action impeccably precise. The steps, the arm swings—the perfectly synchronized motion carried a chilling, aberrant quality.

Thump, thump, thump, thump. Viewed from above, all the armor formed a perfect line vertically, horizontally, and diagonally. Sunlight struck the armor, making them look like demons emerging from hell. Utterly devoid of any reflection, the only light came from the two red eyes shining in their pitch-black masks. These suits of armor advanced like a steel rampart, stepping down from the ship, pushing forward step by deliberate step.

Thump, thump, thump, thump. The black phalanx advanced, and advanced. Apart from the low, monotonous sound of footsteps, there was no other noise from the ranks. This dull, resonant impact seemed to occupy the entire universe; the emissaries present could only hear this sound, could only see these sinister, obsidian-hued armors.

The emissaries retreated, backing away continuously. From these nearly ten thousand suits of combat armor, they sensed a suffocating killing intent—the kind of iron-blooded ferocity only possessed by warriors who have clawed their way out of mountains of corpses and fields of slaughter. In the Star Alliance, in the present Star Alliance, it was impossible to find such an army, such soldiers! Perhaps there were hidden practitioners of such discipline within their nations, but their numbers would never exceed those of the Shadow Guards of the Yafike Sovereignty! And here were nearly ten thousand!

A low dragon's roar emanated from the hull of the warship. A pillar of black light shot into the sky, followed by a massive projection appearing within the light: a monstrous, two-headed dragon wielding a sword and a blade!

Gu Xichen tilted his head back. He tucked the Floating Fan into his waist sash and, with solemnity bordering on reverence, rendered a standard military salute to the emblem of the Earth Federation Military Department displayed in the light pillar!

The four dragon eyes of the Twin-Headed Dragon insignia shot out blinding scarlet light. Within that murderous gleam were visions of mountains of bones, the pungent stench of decaying flesh, and a fierce arrogance mixed with indomitable spirit that the pampered citizens of the Star Alliance could never comprehend. This was a sliver of the military soul accumulated by the Earth Federation’s billions of soldiers and civilians over centuries of continuous warfare since the War of '93. Though the insignia was inanimate, its appearance made everyone present shiver simultaneously!

The perfectly arrayed soldiers advanced, and advanced, until all their comrades had disembarked from the warship.

A formation precisely one hundred units wide by eighty units deep stood arrayed before Gu Xichen—the total number of shock troopers carried on the Desolate Era-class vessel!

Gu Xichen puffed out his chest, his voice suddenly ringing out with the hard friction of grinding steel. He roared deeply, "Brothers, long time no see!"

With a sharp hiss, all the armor simultaneously deactivated combat mode. The forward hatches on the armor fronts sprang open, and eight thousand mercenaries from the Hardwood Defense Corporation stepped out of their suits in identical, crisp motions. They simultaneously rendered a military salute toward Gu Xichen with a synchronized chirp.

Every posture was identical; the angle of every palm and finger was the same; the spacing between each man and his armor upon landing was uniform.

Fuyia Ming, who stood near the landing zone leading the Yafike Royal Guard, watched the eight thousand warriors with her body taut. She bit down hard, constantly repeating to herself, "My God. These are the soldiers I need! These are the soldiers Fuyia Ming needs! These are what the Yafike Kingdom requires! These are real warriors! Xichen, you didn't lie; your subordinates are truly the genuine article!"

She glanced back at the members of the Royal Guard standing awkwardly—skin pale and tender like featherless chicks in a hatchery—and Fuyia Ming wrinkled her nose in disgust. Compared to the iron-blooded warriors Gu Xichen possessed, her own troops were... pitiful. "Damn it. Fine, I’ll treat these trash as soldiers!" Fuyia Ming muttered angrily. "They insult the very word 'warrior'."

During the transit to Yafike Star, all the Hardwood mercenaries had undergone brainwave injections, and they were fluent in the common Star Alliance language.

Gu Xichen lowered his hand and shouted with all his might toward the warriors before him, "Brothers, thank you for the arduous journey!"

The sound boomed like rolling thunder, shaking the ground beneath their feet.

The synchronized reply from the eight thousand Hardwood mercenaries was several times louder than Gu Xichen’s voice. The warriors threw out their chests, veins bulging on their necks, roaring with every ounce of strength: "Long live the Earth Federation! Long live the Hardwood Defense Corporation! Kill!"

"Kill!"

These eight thousand warriors were the elite handpicked by Gu Xichen. Every one of them was a Congenital-level Fighter, and under Gu Xichen’s dedicated training, their internal energy cultivation was at least at the level of the Neptune High Tier! Their qi was incredibly abundant, their voices incredibly loud. Eight thousand powerful martial artists roaring in unison sent out a powerful shockwave that whipped up a gust of wind, causing the nearby turf on the landing field to bend low.

The faces of Duke Shenwu and the others paled. They stared at the eight thousand warriors with fanatical eyes. Gods above, if these soldiers belonged to their nations!

The aides accompanying several emissaries quickly pulled out small combat power detectors. They furtively aimed the instruments at the eight thousand warriors before them. Suddenly, piercing alarms blared! The instruments displayed masses of red dots on their screens: Adept, Adept, Adept—all of them Adepts! Every single one of these eight thousand warriors was at least a One-Star Adept!

Holm, Linghu, and others emerged from the warship and saluted Gu Xichen from a distance.

The alarm on the combat power detectors grew even louder. Holm and Linghu’s power, fused by Christo and nurtured by spiritual elixirs refined by Gu Xichen using the Blazing Orchid, meant that although their Domains were not aggressive combat types, their mental energy approached the peak level of the Mercury Tier. The detector readings showed these two were experts whose strength infinitely approached the peak of the Six-Star Venerable level!

As Ducat, Sinjia, Mo Liqing, and the others slowly emerged from the warship, there was a burst of crackling sounds. The combat power detectors, whose maximum measurable limit was the peak of Six-Star, began to emit smoke!

"Heavens! Ten Ten-Transforming Great Venerables!" One emissary’s eyes rolled back, and he promptly fainted onto the ground.

"Not counting those two, that's twelve!" Another emissary pointed at Gu Xichen with a trembling finger, his eyes rolling back as he collapsed!

"Gods!"

"Oh, my god!"

"Daddy, I’m scared!"

"Mom... am I dreaming?"

Amidst a host of bizarre screams, half of the assembled emissaries and aides fainted instantly. The other half felt a wave of dizziness wash over them. The Earth Federation? What kind of monstrous federation was this? And what manner of monsters were its inhabitants?

Fuyia Ming gasped violently, her high chest heaving. She stared at Gu Xichen with feverish intensity. She had already mentally claimed this abnormal army as her own subordinates! An army composed of eight thousand Adepts, all One-Star level or higher! Gods, the combat power of such an army rivaled that of the Exorcist Knights!

No, the Exorcist Knights wouldn't stand a chance against them! Look at the killing intent radiating from these soldiers, look at the bloodshot rims around their eyes—these were butchers who had walked off the battlefield! Could the combat power of these men possibly compare to those pampered parasites of the Exorcist Knights?

Jin’s body was also trembling violently. She gripped Fuyia Ming’s hand tightly and whispered shrilly, "Sister Fuyia, I want to marry him! I must marry him! God, if I could command these men, I would go rob the Star Alliance Central Vault right now!"

Gu Xichen ignored the dramatic reactions of the outsiders. With his hands behind his back, his gentle gaze swept over the assembled warriors.

Every time Gu Xichen’s gaze landed on a warrior, the soldier instinctively straightened his chest, their faces turning crimson from the effort!

Damn it. The Boss is looking at me. The Boss who annihilated hundreds of thousands of Romans on Heaven Star is looking at me! The Boss who killed so many Christo-Crystalloids on Pluto is looking at me! The Boss universally acknowledged as the strongest, the most formidable in the entire Hardwood Defense Corporation is looking at me!

There are so many aliens standing around, too. Heh heh, these are real 'foreigners,' aren't they? Look at those 'foreigners,' look how useless they are, scared stiff by us, aren't they? What a bunch of good-for-nothings! Ha! In front of these weaklings, we can’t lose face for the Boss, can’t lose face for us old guard of the Hell Angels Mercenary Corps!

Whoosh. A whirlwind shot up from the formation. These Hardwood mercenaries instinctively circulated the zhenqi within their bodies. All eight thousand were Congenital-level Fighters, and their congenital zhenqi merged as one. Instantly, this whirlwind shot up nearly a thousand meters high. With a strange whistling sound, dust and grass clippings from the ground were swept up, drastically reducing everyone's visibility. A palpable, murderous aura—the grim feeling of a decisive battlefield—rippled outwards.

Even more terrifyingly, the murderous intent bottled up inside these men involuntarily leaked out. Their bodies were shrouded in a faint red mist, and the rampaging killing aura swept across the entire landing zone like an ice storm.

Duke Shenwu and the others scrambled backward, retreating frantically. The aura emanating from the Hardwood mercenaries was too sharp; it felt like blades digging into their bodies, causing sharp pain in their internal organs. These pampered aristocrats nearly burst into tears. Were these even human? Was this an army composed of humans? Where in the universe had such terrifying humans appeared?

Gu Xichen looked at the murderous army before him with satisfaction and burst into hearty laughter.

He pointed his right hand toward Fuyia Ming, who stood at the edge of the field, and boomed, "Brothers, this is Her Majesty Queen Fuyia Ming of the Yafike Kingdom! Well, to be frank, your boss—that is, myself, Gu Xichen—might be falling in love! And the object of affection... is Her Majesty Fuyia!"

Boom. The ground shook violently. All eight thousand iron-blooded killers turned left in perfect unison, saluting Fuyia Ming.

These killers, veterans of the Hell Angels Mercenary Corps, roared in unison, "Greetings, Sister-in-law! Long live Sister-in-law Your Majesty!"

Splash. Gu Xichen turned bright red. On the gangway of the warship, Linghu and the others were doubled over with laughter, clutching their stomachs. The already grotesque faces of the Four Mo Brothers turned a mottled shade of green, blue, and purple, resembling overripe watermelons.

Fuyia Ming’s face also flushed deep crimson. She glared at Gu Xichen, furious, yet tinged with shyness and a faint trace of sweetness as she returned the salute.

What followed nearly made Fuyia Ming draw her sword and strike! All eight thousand iron-blooded killers simultaneously turned their gazes toward her. Their stares were as sharp as knives. The three thousand Yafike Royal Guards standing behind Fuyia Ming let out synchronized screams and fainted, all three thousand of the Yafike Kingdom's most elite soldiers rolling their eyes as they collapsed.

Fuyia Ming’s face darkened. She turned around furiously, staring at the sprawl of fallen kingdom soldiers on the ground.

A profound sense of sorrow welled up in Fuyia Ming’s heart. These useless pieces of trash—could she truly rely on them to protect Yafike and help it expand its territory?

Gu Xichen watched Fuyia Ming's trembling form and frowned with concern. He transmitted his voice to her, "Don't worry. I will have my subordinates train them for you. Give me six months, and they will become genuine elites. Heh heh, six months of hellish training, and I can turn lambs into hungry wolves!"

A sweet relief washed over Fuyia Ming’s heart. She let out a soft breath, turned back to Gu Xichen, and gave him a captivating smile.

Gu Xichen nodded. He said quietly, "Alright, brothers, I didn't drag you out here to watch me make a fool of myself!"

The eight thousand warriors turned back simultaneously, looking at Gu Xichen with excitement and fervor. These old comrades from the Hardwood Company had faced death too many times together; most of them suffered from a bit of "battlefield syndrome"—in short, they felt restless if they didn't spend a day fighting or killing someone. They had been cooped up in the life support pods of the Desolate Era-class vessel for over a year; their bones were practically rusting, waiting only for Gu Xichen’s command to go pillage and plunder!

Gu Xichen described in the most concise terms the massive scheme concocted by him and Fuyia Ming.

Finally, he sneered and commanded, "The Duoke Federation is a massive piece of fat meat! But this fat meat is being eyed by thousands of civilizations whose envoys we have already dealt with! No matter how large the cut of meat, if thousands try to share it, everyone will end up with just a bit of greasy scrap! Brothers, what do you say we do?"

Gu Xichen's distribution plan was already deeply etched into the hearts of these warriors. These crazed fighters almost leaped to their feet, roaring in unison, "Kill!"

Gu Xichen hissed, "What if the Duoke Federation army hinders us from gathering our spoils?"

The eight thousand roared back in unison, "Battlefield mishap—kill them all!"

Gu Xichen gave Duke Shenwu and the others an insidious look, coldly asking, "What if our 'allies' try to fight us for the spoils?"

The eight thousand villains roared simultaneously, "Battlefield mishap—kill them all!"

Thud. Duke Shenwu and the remaining few finally slid onto the ground, collapsing onto their backs.

Were these guys, shrouded in faint blood mist, still human?

They were demons, demons born purely for war. And Gu Xichen, the man standing at the forefront of these eight thousand, was undoubtedly the devil among devils!