The Lan Alliance boasts hundreds of thousands of affiliated civilizations, categorized by a one- to six-star rating system.

A one-star civilization is any society detected by the Alliance’s probe ships that agrees to join the Alliance and become one of its members. Even if they are savage tribesmen living off raw meat and blood, as long as their chieftain’s claw print appears on the Alliance ledger, they are listed as a one-star civilization. Any civilization confined to its planet, unable to breach the atmosphere—regardless of whether it has unified its world, its population size, military strength, resource reserves, or wealth—is strictly a one-star civilization.

Two-star civilizations are those that have achieved the ability to independently leave their atmosphere and have initiated basic space technology development. If a planet harbors hundreds of nations, but all of them can launch satellites, deploy rudimentary spacecraft, possess initial orbital strike capabilities, and have methods for probing nearby celestial bodies, then all such civilizations are classified as two-star.

Within the entire structure of the Alliance, one-star and two-star civilizations fall into the category of "crops." These lower-tier civilizations are targets for assessment and exploitation by the higher powers. Generally speaking, only a tiny fraction of lucky ones ever advance beyond these ranks. All advanced civilizations intentionally place restraints on their development.

Three-star civilizations represent a significant leap in civilizational maturity. They possess preliminary space forces and have reached the stage where they can begin resource extraction from nearby celestial bodies; this defines a three-star civilization.

As for the four-star civilization level where the Yafik Kingdom resides, this classification covers an extremely broad spectrum. It includes civilizations possessing a certain number of space fleets, mastery over advanced energy application technologies, the capacity for subspace travel, and some preliminary research into bio-modification techniques. Both the Dishu Federation and the Romanians fall within the four-star bracket of the Alliance, provided they could be precisely located. In terms of scientific and technological research, they are at the lower end of the four-star scale; however, their military strength positions them among the elite of four-star powers.

Three-star and four-star civilizations occupy an awkward middle ground. These two tiers constitute the vast majority of the Alliance's membership, essentially forming its backbone. They are akin to the middle class of the ancient Earth Federation: harboring ambitions to expand their enterprises but lacking substantial resilience against major risks. They too are subject to intentional or unintentional suppression by higher civilizations. Any hasty expansion is certain to invite coordinated attack from neighboring powers or direct intervention from a top-tier civilization.

Take the Leiwu Kingdom, for instance—a powerhouse among the four-star nations. Their technological prowess is sufficient to terraform dozens of viable administrative planets, potentially multiplying their population several times over within a century. Yet, until they amass enough strength to defy the suppression imposed by the higher echelons, the Leiwu Kingdom must accumulate power cautiously, awaiting the right moment.

Every civilization understands one fundamental truth: the total resources in the universe are finite. If one entity consumes more, another must consume less. Therefore, suppressing the development of others to secure more opportunities for one's own expansion remains the optimal strategy.

The pinnacle of the Alliance—the six-star civilizations that form the core of its authority—initially consisted of only fifteen member states. As the Alliance's influence expanded, eight newly discovered civilizations reached the six-star standard, and three others ascended through their own efforts from the five-star level. These twenty-six entities stand at the apex of the Alliance's power pyramid. Each of these twenty-six six-star civilizations commands vast territories, boasts enormous populations, and maintains colossal military forces, truly making them intergalactic behemoths.

Having reached the six-star threshold, they no longer concern themselves with the squabbles of lower civilizations. Their contest is for the control and voice within the Alliance itself. These twenty-six nations engage in bloody, unseen conflict beneath the surface. Because their stratum is so elevated, their struggles remain entirely undetectable by lower civilizations, which is why the Alliance has appeared utterly tranquil since its inception. Actions like the recent dismemberment of the Doke Federation represent one of the rare major operations among them in recent history.

Lower civilizations lack the requisite competitiveness, while the top-tier civilizations eschew such crude methods of contention...

The strength of any five-star civilization dwarfs even the most advanced four-star civilization by factors ranging from tens to hundreds. This disparity is clearly evident in the sheer number of administrative planets controlled: the weakest five-star power possesses at least twenty administrative worlds, populations numbering in the tens of billions, and a minimum of three hundred resource-rich mineral planets. Furthermore, no five-star civilization commands a fleet smaller than ten thousand first-tier warships—and accumulating ten thousand first-tier warships is merely the entry fee into the five-star club!

Every nation at the five-star level is compelled to aggressively suppress lower civilizations, absolutely refusing to allow any competitor for resources to arise within their sphere of influence. Simultaneously, while suppressing the lower tiers, they engage in ferocious internal warfare, resulting in endless carnage. A conflict between two five-star civilizations, sparked over a newly discovered resource planet or any other pretext, can easily escalate into centuries of military confrontation.

Seizing administrative planets, mining worlds, populations, and anything else obtainable—five-star civilizations engage in this naked, mutual slaughter for self-interest.

This protracted warfare has forged the distinctive modus operandi of five-star civilizations: domineering, savage, and utterly reliant on demonstrable strength.

The Hiss Empire, the five-star civilization situated just beyond the Yafik Kingdom's established trade lanes, is a formidable power whose shadow potentially threatens every civilization in the entire Spiral Sector.

The colossal Hiss Empire controls one hundred and thirty-five administrative planets, boasts thousands of discovered mineral satellite bodies, and commands over one hundred thousand Alliance standard warships. A single Hiss capital ship possesses combat power at least double that of a first-tier warship manufactured by a four-star civilization.

For comparison, the twenty space carrier motherships that the Doke Federation bankrupted itself to acquire are dwarfed by the Hiss Empire’s active fleet of over two hundred space motherships. If not for the League of the Twenty-Six supreme six-star civilizations establishing the Law of Protection for Lower Civilizations, which strictly forbids five-star aggression against those below them, the Hiss Empire would have long since swallowed the entire Spiral Sector.

Thus, standing before Gu Yechen, Hylis Hiss, the Third Prince of the Hiss Empire, completely disregarded the fact that they were on Yafik Kingdom territory and immediately issued a kill order.

"Scram!" Gu Yechen unleashed a Palm Thunder that blasted the charging man into countless fragments of fire.

"Scram!" Ducart’s eyes flashed with icy light. He stomped heavily, shaking the entire grand Presidential Palace. A surge of immense power shot through the ground into the bodies of three charging men, shattering them into plumes of bloody mist. With a massive grasp, Ducart snatched three daggers, crumpling them in his hand as if crushing mud clumps.

"Nasty fellow!" Lily glared irritably at the lecherous middle-aged man lunging at her. A crisp eagle's cry rang out. A fist-sized green eagle shot forth from Lily's brow, slamming into the man's face. Its iron-hard beak and talons immediately tore at his features. The man shrieked, and in the blink of an eye, his head was reduced to mush.

The only threat remaining was the man aiming for Penghua, whose blade, wreathed in intense flame, plunged deep into Penghua’s chest, emerging from his back.

"Whoa, I’m dead!" Penghua yelled dramatically, rolling his eyes before collapsing onto the ground, his body twitching once before going still.

The attacker smirked victoriously, withdrawing his blade, ready to curry favor with Hylis. Suddenly, Penghua shot bolt upright from the ground. He grimaced and winked at the stunned assailant, grinning, "Whoa, I’m alive again!" The man screamed, swinging his saber to stab Penghua once more. But Penghua delivered a swift slap across his face. With a sharp crack, a sound of tearing muscle, the man’s neck was wrenched aside by sheer brute force, his head flying hundreds of meters away.

Gu Yechen smiled, walking slowly toward the ashen-faced Hylis with his hands clasped behind his back, appraising him from head to toe.

Hylis inhaled deeply, then forced a cold smile, nodding repeatedly at Gu Yechen. "I admire your courage, truly. Do you have any idea who you just killed? Those were the Hiss Imperial Court Guards! They are all five-star capable experts. Even for the Hiss Empire, they represent an irreplaceable asset. You have murdered them; the Hiss Empire will never forgive you."

Fu Yaming cried out urgently from the side, "Yechen!"

Gu Yechen shook his head, offering Fu Yaming a reassuring smile before kicking Hylis sharply in the abdomen. Hylis grunted in pain, flying back a dozen meters from the force of the kick. However, his own abilities were considerable; he managed to plant his feet and remain standing.

Yet, Gu Yechen’s blow was far from trivial. The clothing over Hylis’s lower abdomen tore open, revealing a distinct, cyan-colored footprint. A biting cold began to erode Hylis’s internal structure. His previously flushed face instantly turned a deathly white. He stood there trembling violently for a moment before suddenly spitting out a mouthful of black blood.

A piercing alarm blared from all directions. The anti-air weaponry densely packed around the Presidential Palace emerged from their heavy emplacements, their barrels locking onto the sky.

Twelve disc-shaped, silver-gray vessels swept down rapidly from beyond the atmosphere, each vessel exceeding a kilometer in diameter. The twelve ships hurtled toward the City of Glory as if no one else existed. Still several kilometers above the ground, nearly a thousand tiny black specks ejected from the ships, streaking toward the surface like cannonballs.

Gu Yechen’s eyes were sharp; he immediately recognized these individuals as soldiers clad in combat armor, each equipped with a personal flight pack. His divine sense swept over them, and Gu Yechen was astonished to find that the individual combat strength of these warriors nearly matched that of the elite soldiers of the Earth Federation. A small contingent possessed combat power even comparable to the finest agents within the Earth Federation’s special task forces. Especially the three leaders—one male and two female—their faint energy signatures revealed they were all six-star Venerable-level experts.

Just as he was calculating whether to simply incinerate them in mid-air, Gu Yechen caught a faint, subtle fragrance.

Fu Yaming anxiously approached Gu Yechen and whispered urgently, "We cannot possibly fight the Hiss Empire right now!"

Gu Yechen replied quickly, "Not even with us added to the equation?"

Fu Yaming gazed deeply at him, sighing softly. "If you are confident you can withstand ten thousand warships whose combat power doubles ours at the first-tier level, then yes, we can try."

"The Hiss Empire is that powerful?" Gu Yechen asked, confused.

Fu Yaming quickly summarized the Hiss Empire’s strength, adding with a wry smile, "They are indeed formidable. Hylis is a strong contender for the Hiss Imperial throne. He wants to control Yafik to monopolize trade between the Spiral Sector and the Hiss Empire, securing another advantage in his bid for succession."

Hylis chose his timing perfectly: he arrived precisely when Fu Yaming had just subjugated Doke Star, leaving her overwhelmed with crucial administrative matters. A juicy morsel had landed in their lap, but Yafik had yet to digest it. Yafik’s own military strength was insufficient to defend Doke Star. Hylis’s sudden proposal of marriage struck Yafik’s most vulnerable nerve.

If Fu Yaming had been on Yafik Prime, Hylis would never have dared to arrive so brazenly. But this was Doke Star, lacking the utterly impregnable planetary defense systems of Yafik Prime, giving Hylis ample opportunity and leverage to strike at Fu Yaming.

Conquering a minor queen and simultaneously acquiring two of the most vital natural chokepoints on the Golden Trade Route—plus the bonus of nearly ten thousand first-tier warships and twenty space motherships—this was an exceptionally profitable venture. Though the quality of those first-tier warships was somewhat inflated, the twenty space motherships were genuine treasures: the Hiss Empire’s latest generation of carriers, only recently deployed. If not for Dogor having to mortgage the Doke Federation's entire investment portfolio within the Alliance, how could the Hiss Empire ever have sold such vessels?

Of course, many functional modules on these carriers were locked down before export. But Hylis didn't care; any module the Hiss locked down, he knew how to unlock with ease.

In summary, Hylis had already marked Yafik and Fu Yaming as his spoils. But Gu Yechen’s interference, and the murder of his personal guards, complicated matters immensely.

Gu Yechen took a determined step toward Hylis. Fu Yaming quickly grabbed his arm. "If we cannot confront the Hiss Imperial fleet, we absolutely cannot touch him!"

Gu Yechen hesitated. The nearly thousand Hiss warriors descending from the sky landed, and the three six-star Venerables rushed to Hylis's side, positioning themselves defensively in front of him.

"This is a misunderstanding!" Gu Yechen said through a strained smile to the three Venerables.

Hylis, hiding behind the three six-star Venerables, trembled violently and pointed at Gu Yechen, roaring weakly, "A misunderstanding? You killed my escort! You assaulted me! And you dare call it a misunderstanding? This is war, you damned fool, this is WAR!"

Gu Yechen remained silent for a moment, then gently flicked the Five-Water Willow Beard Fan in his hand toward the three six-star Venerables standing before Hylis.

White waves rose heavenward from the flat ground. The three six-star Venerables were swept into the surging torrent with no chance of resistance. With a deafening boom, the three dignified six-star experts dissolved into dust within the watery vortex.

Hylis staggered back several paces in sheer terror, stammering, pointing at Gu Yechen, "You, you, a Seven-Star Grand Venerable? The legends... the legends are true?"

Gu Yechen looked down at Hylis coolly, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Get out of the Spiral Sector and never return. Otherwise, I won't mind paying a visit to your Hiss Imperial capital."

With a wave of his hand, the Azure Lotus Ring shot into the sky as a brilliant streak of azure light. In an instant, it expanded into a massive halo, spanning over ten kilometers in diameter, enveloping the twelve disc-shaped warships floating above. Gu Yechen focused his will slightly, and the Azure Lotus Ring began to compress inward rapidly. The round warships, unable to erect energy shields in time, emitted a grating, teeth-jarring screech. Within moments, the ships were shredded by the azure light, falling from the sky as heaps of scrap metal.

The Azure Lotus Ring returned to Gu Yechen's finger. He looked at the stunned Hylis and stated calmly, "If a single blade of grass in the Yafik Kingdom is disturbed, I will slaughter ten thousand of your Hiss Empire citizens. If a single person in the Yafik Kingdom is killed, I will slaughter one hundred million of your Hiss Empire populace. And if Fu Ya's hair is so much as touched, I will annihilate the entire Hiss Imperial royal family."

Penghua, standing beside him, grinned widely, rolling up his sleeve and flexing his bicep to show off his powerful muscles, then deliberately punched the ground.

CRASH! A fissure, nearly a meter wide and impossibly deep, instantly split the ground before the Presidential Palace entrance. Several stunned Yafik soldiers standing nearby nearly tumbled into the abyss.

Hylis’s face turned even grimmer. He looked at Gu Yechen in disbelief, then at Penghua, and asked word by word, "A Seven-Star Grand Venerable? Really?"

Gu Yechen smiled faintly, holding his silence.

Penghua proudly rolled up his other sleeve, flaunting his muscular arm, and then nodded heavily. "Not a shred of falsehood; he is indeed a Seven-Star Grand Venerable!"

Hylis sighed, clutching his injured abdomen, and bowed deeply to Gu Yechen. "I sincerely apologize for the trouble I have caused you. However, you have killed the only three Venerables by my side, which has severely impacted my bid for the throne. If you can forgive my presumption, I propose we form an alliance. The trade consortium under my name and my mother’s will form a strategic partnership with the Yafik Kingdom’s royal consortium."

Gu Yechen regarded Hylis with appreciation for a moment before turning to look at Fu Yaming.

Fu Yaming smiled and nodded, naturally looping her arm through Gu Yechen’s. She said sweetly, "The Hiss Empire’s conduct may be crude and barbaric, but the honor of their royal family is recognized throughout the Alliance. If Your Highness Hylis does not resent our offense, the Yafik Kingdom is willing to become your ally."

Gu Yechen reached out and patted Hylis’s shoulder, drawing back the lingering thread of cold energy still wreaking havoc inside him. He smiled at Hylis. "If you are interested, let's discuss terms inside. Hmm, in which areas of research does your Hiss Kingdom excel? I happen to be quite fond of advanced technology!"

Hylis smiled, grasping Gu Yechen’s hand, their intimacy suddenly resembling that between close brothers.

Ducart was about to follow Gu Yechen into the Presidential Palace when he suddenly raised his head, alerted by some sensory input, gazing toward a specific point in the sky.

"Borbort. You are not dead! I can feel you are still alive!"

"But where are you? Every humiliation you inflicted upon me, I will return to you, one by one!" To know what happens next, please log in to Aijie... for more chapters and support the author.