The Huo Yin Robe morphed into the white linen gown Gu Yechen was most accustomed to wearing. After subtly altering his features, Gu Yechen chuckled as he sat in the casino of the interstellar liner named Lucky, gambling boisterously with a group of passengers whose eyes were as red as traffic lights.

Holmes, whose appearance was similarly altered, held a small hand of cards, laughing with a sound like a hen that had just laid an egg. He was seated directly opposite Gu Yechen, coordinating their cheating efforts. The rules of this card game, the most popular in the Star Alliance, were notoriously complex, designed to virtually eliminate the possibility of cheating. However, for Gu Yechen and Holmes, with their formidable mental powers, knowing their opponents’ cards while having a coordinated partner at the table made it nearly impossible to lose.

The Lucky was currently traversing the Golden Trade Route, the vital artery connecting the Spiral Starfield to the Heath Empire, generating immense tax revenue for the Yafik Kingdom annually. Occasionally, large convoys would pass the Lucky, exchanging friendly light signals to wish each other safe travels.

After tossing down a small stack of cards—having just won a territory spanning over a thousand square kilometers on an administrative planet belonging to a Three-Star Civilization—Gu Yechen swept up all his remaining cards, gathered his chips, and the various promissory notes and deeds he had won, and cheerfully walked away from the table.

Most Star Alliance citizens capable of interstellar travel were people of considerable means; winning a little money off them was genuinely a pleasant diversion for both body and mind. The passenger who had just lost the farm to Gu Yechen, a man named Yang Ku, owned private estates covering millions of square kilometers; a mere thousand square kilometers was hardly a significant loss to him, but it was enough for Gu Yechen to establish a small, secret base within the star’s screens.

Patting the thick stack of title deeds in his hand, Gu Yechen grinned at Holmes and remarked, "Such wealthy people."

Holmes licked his nose and mumbled softly, "A pity the brothers aren't here. We could have cleaned them out properly!"

"Uh," Gu Yechen's voice caught, and he forced a dry laugh. "We are a defense corporation, not pirates. Keep thoughts like that far away from your mind in the future." Yet, glancing at the passengers in the liner’s corridor—smiling, soft-muscled, plump figures resembling freshly scrubbed white pigs—Gu Yechen suddenly found the idea of relieving them of their fortunes quite appealing.

"Hey, long time no see, big brother!" a sweet, delicate voice chimed in. From a side corridor, a "girl" emerged, clad in a flowing white gown, her dense, long hair resembling a swirl of purple haze. She suddenly rushed out and threw an arm around Gu Yechen’s bicep.

She affectionately rubbed her slightly protruding chest against Gu Yechen’s stunned arm and greeted Holmes with a wide smile: "Big brother, and Mr. Holmes, we really are fated to meet!"

"How are you here?" Gu Yechen’s scalp prickled. He struggled to pull his arm free from her grasp, but Jin immediately wrapped her legs around his waist, startling him into pressing down on her, terrified she might start doing something bizarre in public.

Satisfied, Jin clung to his arm, pressing her body close to his, and chirped happily, "I came to help big brother!"

"Hold on!" Gu Yechen dragged Jin into a secluded corner and hissed through clenched teeth, "I am not your big brother, and stop being so familiar. I’m scared."

"But I always call Sister Fuya that! So you must be my big brother!" Jin’s mouth curved into a smile, radiant and triumphant like a cunning fox who had achieved her goal. "Besides, I came to help you. How can you be so ungrateful? Hee hee, big brother is going to assassinate a noble consort of the Heath Empire—that information is quite valuable!"

"How do you know that?" Gu Yechen’s heart sank, and he glared at Jin with irritation.

Holmes agilely darted behind Jin, drawing a dagger soundlessly and pressing the tip lightly against a vital point on her back. Holmes’s voice was a low threat: "Little girl, don't play clever. One wrong move, and your life isn't yours anymore." Click. Holmes’s left hand produced a long-barreled, large-caliber revolver, fitted with a rail upon which was mounted a high-precision sniper scope. In Holmes’s hands, this powerful sniper pistol could harvest any life within a kilometer radius.

Gu Yechen stared at Jin with cold severity. He shook his head gently. "I never harm women. That was my mother’s requirement—a true warrior does not harm the gentle beings who should be cherished and protected. However, Holmes isn't my mother’s child; he's killed as many women as men. So, Jin, explain yourself. Why are you here?"

Jin’s lower lip trembled, attempting a pitiful plea. But Holmes eased the pressure slightly, and the dagger pierced her long skirt, grazing her skin. Jin felt a sharp chill pierce her back, an icy thread reaching deep within. Defeated, Jin managed a wry smile and mumbled, "Big brother’s mother should have had more children. To think she’d allow someone as adorable as me to be threatened..."

Holmes cut her off with a harsh reprimand: "I like women with large breasts—at least as big as your head. To me, you look like a man."

Immediately, fine spiderwebs of blood appeared in Jin’s eyes; she was teetering on the edge of fury. Gu Yechen quickly stomped down hard on Jin’s toe and let out a heavy, cold snort. The sharp pain in her toe, coupled with the sound in her ears like a muffled thunderclap, shook Jin’s body, forcing her to blurt out the entire story.

Fuya Ming had departed with a large retinue for a state visit. Jin, left idle on Yafik, was already deeply annoyed because she had agreed to help Fuya Ming deal with the Exorcist Knights, only for the effort to prove entirely fruitless and taxing. So, she complained volubly to Fuya Ming over communications.

Fuya Ming couldn't handle Jin and feared she might cause some strange incident on Yafik—like seducing the daughters or granddaughters of several nobles, sparking bizarre romantic crises. Therefore, Fuya Ming unhesitatingly sold Gu Yechen’s movements to Jin. Excited, Jin quickly gathered her subordinates and boarded the Great Falcon to catch up with the Lucky, using their unique stealth methods to sneak aboard the liner.

"Sister Fuya said you know nothing about Star Alliance affairs. If you just stormed the Heath Imperial Palace and massacred everyone, the repercussions would be terrible. So, I’m here to supervise the entire process and accompany you. Hee hee, there are lots of great treasures in the Heath Empire! Maybe we can team up and get all those treasures for ourselves!"

Gu Yechen glared at the little imp through gritted teeth, but the imp remained unconcerned, clinging tightly to him, her slender legs beginning to rub against his.

After a few bitter laughs, Gu Yechen shook his head. "Fine, you assist me in this matter, but you must obey me."

Jin instantly broke into a sweet smile. "I always listen to big brother the most! Hee hee!"

Gu Yechen looked helplessly at Holmes, who shrugged gleefully and let out a few mocking laughs, putting away his dagger and pistol.

After seven days and nights of travel, the Lucky completed fifteen spatial jumps and arrived within Heath territory. Two members of the Broken Hook Ability Group, disguised perfectly as Gu Yechen and Holmes, continued aboard the liner. Gu Yechen and Holmes, under Jin’s arrangements, disembarked long before reaching the spaceport.

"Never underestimate the might of the Heath Empire. Every single move on a commercial liner like this is monitored by these Five-Star Civilizations. Any anomaly among the passengers will alert their intelligence departments. You boarded on Yafik and suddenly vanish upon reaching the Heath Empire—that alone is enough to arouse suspicion," Jin muttered naggingly while piloting the Great Falcon.

"No one will discover we left the liner," Gu Yechen snapped back, frowning. "Watch your driving and stop the chatter. Don't let a patrol team catch us."

Given Gu Yechen's power, how could the Heath Empire's intelligence department possibly catch him? Once he and Holmes left the liner, two Heavenly Soldiers possessing transformation abilities would take their place and continue the journey, only returning once they were far from Heath space, ensuring that no one would link the assassins of the noble consort to the Yafik Kingdom.

Man skewed her mouth and grumbled something under her breath. She pulled up a timetable on her personal terminal, marked with cryptic notes Gu Yechen couldn’t decipher.

The Great Falcon halted within a small asteroid field, all engines cut.

A standard Heath Empire patrol squadron, composed of three Level-Two warships, slowly swept past ten light-seconds ahead. About ten minutes after this visible patrol passed, twelve small, bat-shaped warships, entirely black, silently converged onto the patrol corridor from all directions. They circled the surrounding space meticulously, searching for a while, before dispersing again to drift along the patrol route ahead.

Roughly twenty minutes later, a fleet consisting of three Level-One warships and one small space carrier flashed past, speeding ahead along the patrol route.

"Same old routine. Nothing new!" Jin pouted dismissively. "All the Ability Groups in the Star Alliance have figured out the Heath Empire’s patrol methods. Sigh!"

Gu Yechen nodded inwardly. A Five-Star Civilization was indeed a Five-Star Civilization. While the patrol was certainly cautious, the troop configuration was astonishing. For instance, the Heath Empire possessed small space carriers like that, which the Yafik Kingdom’s fleet could not boast a single one of. This specialized carrier, designed and built for specific tasks, was something Yafik couldn't develop themselves, nor could they acquire it through legitimate channels. They could only afford to purchase a few standard large carriers for show.

Jin babbled to herself while fishing a bottle of liquor from beneath the pilot’s seat, diligently pouring a fine drink for Gu Yechen and Holmes. With a beaming smile, she asked Gu Yechen in a negotiating tone, "Big brother, my father said he is very interested in those big leaders of the Bloodfang. Are you willing to sell them to him?"

"Your father is interested in them?" Gu Yechen looked at Jin in surprise. He nodded indifferently. "Oh, they aren't of much use to us anyway. We squeezed the last Star Alliance gold coin from their bank accounts. If you want them, take them. As for the others, after reattaching the Green leader’s tail, he could probably still serve as a mount."

"Not at all!" Jin giggled until her eyes narrowed to slits, sipping her drink. "In the Star Alliance pirate rankings, our Broken Hook is third. If my father releases the news that we have these four, Broken Hook could advance one rank. Of course, they won't survive—otherwise, exposing my friendship with Sister Fuya would cause huge trouble."

They chatted intermittently for over an hour when a faint beep-beep sounded from Jin’s personal terminal. A Heath Empire patrol squadron was slowly approaching from a distance. Jin quickly activated the Great Falcon and flew it straight toward the squadron.

The Great Falcon barely scraped past the hull of one of the Level-Two warships, yet the patrol showed no reaction. The twelve bat-shaped warships rapidly approaching from behind clearly saw the Great Falcon but issued no alarms. To Gu Yechen’s utter astonishment, the Great Falcon passed through the Heath Empire’s outer defense line with ease.

"Oh, nothing strange about that!" Jin cheerfully explained to Gu Yechen. "The Heath Empire’s military has people from Broken Hook, connections established by my great-great-great-grandfather. In fact, except for a few Six-Star Civilizations, our Broken Hook brothers can slip through most national borders with ease. Otherwise, how could we conduct our business without being intercepted by those high-level civilization blockades?"

Holmes gave Gu Yechen a strange look, and Gu Yechen smiled and nodded. This sort of infiltration was something the Hadewor Defense Company was actively cultivating; weren't Banruo and Mohe the two spikes he had driven into the Federal military? Mercenary groups and Ability Groups shared many similarities, and perhaps he should exchange notes with the Broken Hook leader.

With inside help from the Heath Empire, the Great Falcon crossed the control zones of dozens of Heath administrative planets without incident, finally reaching the periphery of the Heath Empire’s capital world, 'Holy Heath' Star.

Gu Yechen was once again shaken by the hidden potential of the Broken Hook Group. Here, a space carrier just returning to its home port received the Great Falcon into its hangar. Two Heath Empire officers brought up three sets of Heath military uniforms, along with three official Heath officer identification documents.

Looking at the officer uniforms and IDs, Gu Yechen was left speechless.

Jin squinted contentedly at Gu Yechen and smiled. "Hurry and change; they'll fit perfectly. Hmm, we got these three IDs from a political rival of our mole inside the Heath Empire, so when we leave, we should expose that rival. With these IDs at the scene, that rival is finished!"

"This is too far-fetched, isn't it?" Gu Yechen asked Jin with a wry smile.

Jin responded with genuine confusion. "Why does big brother think it’s far-fetched? Broken Hook has a history of nearly ten thousand years. Although we rank third now, we are the oldest Ability Group in the Star Alliance. While our foundation can't compare to the older, high-level civilizations, planting a few people in major civilizations is incredibly easy for us."

Gu Yechen sighed, shifting his body slightly. The Tai Yin Robe swiftly changed, transforming into a sleek, black uniform, identical to the Heath officer uniforms provided. The Broken Hook Ability Group had nearly ten millennia of history? A pirate gang enduring for such a long time! No wonder Fuya Ming could ask Jin to help her deal with the Exorcist Knights; there was clearly a reason.

Jin stared dumbfounded at the self-transforming clothing on Gu Yechen, almost screaming in frenzy. "I want it! How is this clothing made? Memory metal? No, no, it’s not metal—is it a nano-level microbial aggregate material? But that’s also not right; that disgusting stuff couldn't achieve this level of perfection!"

After much effort, Gu Yechen managed to calm the overly excited Jin. Once Jin and Holmes had changed into Heath uniforms, Gu Yechen led them out of the Great Falcon.

The Broken Hook members left inside the Great Falcon immediately joined forces with an outside team of Heath engineering troops. They loaded the Great Falcon into a giant container using massive crates. Before the trio had even left the carrier ship, a huge engineering vehicle dragged the Great Falcon, now tagged with a "Damaged Military Supplies" label, along with the waiting Broken Hook members, to a secret outpost on Holy Heath Star. Everything was executed flawlessly; no one suspected that three mid-ranking officers had just been added to the Heath military.

Using the newly acquired officer IDs, they left the military base where the space carrier was docked. Jin even used her credentials to requisition an armored vehicle.

Holmes drove the military chariot speeding along the high-altitude thoroughfare. Gu Yechen gazed absently at the scenery, while Jin furtively admired Gu Yechen’s tall, straight figure.

The Heath Empire constructed a global transportation network in the high atmosphere using translucent alloy materials, a thousand meters above the ground. All military and civilian vehicles were required to follow these fixed transit corridors. These corridors were equipped with numerous detection instruments capable of monitoring every movement on the planet. Any vehicle deviating from the designated corridors, unless specially authorized, would be "destroyed without warning" by patrolling units.

The Heath Empire’s architectural style differed from Yafik’s, whose structures were uniformly exquisite and beautiful. Heath’s architecture featured towering, Gothic-style spires reminiscent of Earth’s old Gothic era; most buildings were iron-gray or a dull, lifeless white—tall, rugged, and conveying a sense of heavy, cast metal. The Yafik Kingdom seemed like a carefree lamb in a sheep pen, while the Heath Empire was a bloodthirsty beast weathered by endless storms.

Yet, the two nations shared one commonality: both boasted excellent natural environments, full of tall trees, wide grasslands, and emerald lakes. Although various sizes of ships occasionally flew overhead, the air carried no strange odors; what drifted in the breeze were faint scents of flowers and grass, and the sweet fragrance of fruit wood.

Other vehicles were rushing along this high-altitude corridor. Through the transparent canopy, the Heath citizens inside could be seen mostly wearing streamlined, tight-fitting clothes; even women rarely wore long gowns. Everyone sat upright, projecting an aura of sharpness, competence, and efficiency—a stark contrast to the leisurely Yafik populace.

Observing these Heath people, Gu Yechen suddenly understood Fuya Ming’s anxiety and worry: if Yafik continued down its current path, it would eventually perish amidst its leisure.

A dull wooo-wooo sound resonated from behind, immediately followed by a gust of strong wind sweeping past their vehicle. A convoy of over thirty extremely long and heavily armored black chariots roared past, charging ahead with an aggressive, arrogant air. The anti-gravity engine shield of one vehicle scraped against the side of Gu Yechen’s chariot, nearly knocking him and his companions, vehicle and all, off the high-altitude corridor.

The armored vehicle that nearly sent them flying blared its horn—a loud, piercing sound—and swerved arrogantly before rocketing ahead.

Fortunately, Holmes’s driving skills were adequate; he managed to bring the vehicle back under control after a wobble. Holmes, having never suffered such an insult, roared in fury, punching out and shattering the vehicle's transparent canopy. He leaned out and shouted, "Damn your mother!" Holmes's voice was remarkably strong; his roar was several decibels louder than the high-power horns of those vehicles. Clearly, the occupants of the black chariots had heard his curse.

Without making a sound, the thirty-odd armored vehicles suddenly decelerated. All the chariots swerved sideways, completely blocking the hundred-meter-wide high-altitude corridor.

Jin abruptly spotted the sword-and-shield-with-lightning emblem engraved in starlight silver on the armored vehicles. She cursed under her breath. "Damn it, that’s someone from the Heath Royal Family!"

All armored vehicles simultaneously opened their doors, and nearly a hundred Heath soldiers, clad in pale silver uniforms and looking fierce as wolves, rushed out and strode toward their car. One soldier held a strangely shaped firearm and, from a considerable distance, pulled the trigger aimed at Gu Yechen’s vehicle. A wave of invisible, high-density air pressure erupted from the muzzle, accompanied by a muffled boom. The vehicle carrying Gu Yechen burst into dust with a crash, sending countless metal fragments scattering everywhere, yet the trio only felt a slight tremor in the air around them.

"Ultra-high frequency air cannons, utilizing preset oscillatory frequencies. They can effectively shatter metal, rock, or human bodies." Jin muttered in a low voice. "They are the special firearms most favored by the special operations units of most high-level civilizations, especially when they intend to take prisoners alive."

"Do you think we might be taken alive?" Gu Xiachen stood with his hands clasped behind his back, calmly watching the Hiss soldiers charging toward them.

"Tee hee!" Jin narrowed her eyes and offered Gu Xiachen an intensely charming smile. Her long purple hair and purple eyes, coupled with the skin-tight black uniform she wore, exuded an indescribable, wicked allure. However, this charm was useless against Gu Xiachen; anyone cultivating the Taiyin True Scripture was theoretically immune to external influence on their spirit, which was as unshakable as ten-thousand-year-old Xuanbing ice, unless they chose to be moved.

Nevertheless, Jin's bewitching smile proved remarkably potent. A deep voice emerged from an armored vehicle behind them: "Hold it. Show some respect."

A sturdy, powerful leg slowly swung out from the vehicle's door, planting firmly onto the high-altitude walkway. As if to display the sheer strength in his legs, the man violently scraped the sole of his high-top boot on the ground, sending a shower of dazzling sparks where the boot's alloy sole met the walkway.

"Duo—" Accompanied by a muffled grunt, a tall, handsome young man, nearly two meters in height, wearing a silver uniform adorned with three medals on his left breast, emerged from the armored car, standing proudly with his hands clasped behind his back. He cast a condescending, superior gaze toward Jin, who stood beside Gu Xiachen.

Two stunningly seductive women, also in military attire, stepped out of the vehicle and positioned themselves on either side of the youth. They glared at Jin with the fierce look a jealous tigress reserves for a romantic rival. Their complex gazes held astonishment, envy, and deep, satisfying schadenfreude. Gu Xiachen keenly noticed that the chests of both women were remarkably flat—even flatter than Jin's.

"This person’s status is quite high. One of those three medals is the 'Sacred Hiss Purple Wind Birch Leaf Cross Medal,' exclusive to the Hiss Royal Family. The other two are the 'Second Class Sacred Hiss Knight's Medal of Courage' and the 'Second Class Sacred Hiss Grand Cross Double-Headed Dragon Medal of Valor.' This man has royal blood and is, at minimum, a general commanding a powerful legion-sized space fleet."

Jin whispered this assessment to Gu Xiachen, simultaneously puffing out her chest with pride. She was utterly delighted to discover that there were women whose chests were smaller than hers!

A "powerful legion-sized space fleet" was an informal classification for military units in high-level civilizations—a fleet requiring over a thousand primary warships and at least ten space carriers to qualify. Such a force, augmented by secondary and tertiary vessels, easily exceeded ten thousand ships in total scale.

Gu Xiachen slightly parted his feet, his hands clasped behind his back, returning the youth's gaze with the lofty, detached scrutiny a celestial deity reserves for ants.

The youth was arrogant, domineering, possessing an innate sense of superiority. But Gu Xiachen's gaze transcended the scope of ordinary humanity. His look was like the light shed by an eternal, primordial star—illuminating everything yet utterly indifferent to the world. In his eyes, no one else held a position of superiority.

In the blink of an eye, Gu Xiachen’s aura crushed the arrogant presence the young man had intentionally projected. Under Gu Xiachen's gaze, the youth's body seemed to rapidly shrink and melt like a snow lion under the sun. He staggered back a step, pointing angrily at Gu Xiachen and demanding, "Report your unit designation and the name of your immediate superior!"

Gu Xiachen and the two women wore uniforms designating them as mid-level Hiss officers, roughly equivalent to a Lieutenant Colonel in the Earth Federation military. The commander of a powerful legion-sized fleet would, at minimum, hold a rank equivalent to a Lieutenant General in the Earth Federation. Thus, the youth immediately resorted to leveraging his authority.

Fumbling in his pocket, Gu Xiachen pulled out his officer ID and casually tossed it to the youth.

The ID card floated slowly forward. A soldier reached out to intercept it, but the moment his fingers brushed the card, a sharp crack sounded. The soldier's hand, from fingertip to shoulder, was instantly pulverized by an immense, invisible force. The soldier screamed, clutching his shattered shoulder and stumbling backward. The ID continued its trajectory, landing softly before the youth, who was now recoiling in terror. Gu Xiachen said flatly, "Can't you read it yourself? All my details are inside."

Jin stared raptly at Gu Xiachen. He was so commanding, so cool, so powerful. Sigh, how could such a man exist in the world?

The youth looked down at the ID card, studied it for a moment, shook his head, and slowly walked toward Gu Xiachen. Surrounded by his soldiers, the youth cautiously stopped less than five meters away from Gu Xiachen. "Never mind. Just looking at your uniform, I know you are an operative from Military Intelligence. However, you were a bit too heavy-handed."

Sighing, the youth glanced over Jin, then narrowed his eyes. "I am Prince Gosen Hiss, the Fifth Prince of the Empire. You might not recognize me, as the features of the Royal Family are strictly classified. But you have certainly heard my name, as I am the Prince with the most distinguished military achievements in the Empire."

As he spoke, Gosen’s nose tilted upward again. He flicked a sidelong glance at Gu Xiachen and stated coolly, "I shall forgive your recent impertinence, acknowledging that you didn't recognize me. After all, the man you injured was one of my personal guards, which is a serious offense. I could even arrest every member of your entire family for such a crime."

Gu Xiachen kept his hands clasped behind his back, regarding Gosen with an expression reserved for something distasteful.

Gosen felt deeply insulted by that look, as if he were a clown waving a wooden sword against a dragon in front of Gu Xiachen. This feeling infuriated him, but out of consideration for Jin standing next to Gu Xiachen, Gosen forcibly suppressed his rage and said in a low voice, "I greatly admire the female officer beside you. I believe her talent and caliber are being wasted in Military Intelligence. Therefore, come with me; you will have a future a hundred times better than your current one."

Gosen displayed the absolute superiority of an Imperial Prince, extending his right hand toward Jin in the manner of a deity bestowing a gift upon a slave. "Take my hand. This is the only chance of a lifetime. Power, wealth, honor—I can give you all of it. Your family will also benefit because of you; I can even make your family my vassal family, if you have one. I can, and I am willing to do so."

Gu Xiachen shrugged and gave Jin a playful grin. "Go on with him, Jin. A grand future awaits you! As for me, I'll go take care of my own important business!"

Jin's expression flickered between anger and surprise. She looked at Gosen’s outstretched hand, then suddenly, fiercely, grabbed Gu Xiachen's arm, deliberately grinding her chest against his arm a few times. Gosen’s face instantly contorted into extreme awkwardness, but then Jin cried out mournfully, "Brother, I am already carrying your child! I will not leave with him! I won't go with him!"

Gu Xiachen felt a bolt of lightning strike his forehead; Jin’s words left his mind reeling.

Jin then turned to Gosen, shouting loudly, "Even if I were to leave Brother for another man, that man would at least have to be a Prince like Your Highness Yuri, or Your Highness Hailis, or Your Highness Kaluki—someone with a chance to become Emperor! What right do you have, you low-life Prince dredged up from some sewage treatment plant or municipal waste recycling center, to expect me to follow you?"

Gu Xiachen looked at Jin in astonishment, never expecting such venomous words from the little seductress. But then again, he supposed it fit—for a woman described as a shrew, no amount of malice would be surprising!

Gosen's face changed. He stared blankly at Jin, then suddenly shrieked hysterically, "Take down these two men! Drag that stinking woman back here!" He waved his arms and roared, "I'll make her understand how unwise it is to provoke an Imperial Prince! Stinking woman, vile woman—once I get tired of you, I'll sell you off as a pleasure slave on a Class One civilized planet!"

Gosen's soldiers swiftly drew their weapons, while the two seductive women beside him leaped into the air, transforming into a plume of blazing fire and a cloud of chilling cold, diving toward Jin. Although these two women didn't look particularly imposing, their esoteric abilities had reached the Six-Star level!

Jin cackled, "Not bad! A trash Prince with no hope of inheriting the throne still manages to keep two Venerables beside him. Very nice."

Gu Xiachen shook his head. Suddenly, a chord deep within him vibrated.

"Heaven and Earth are not benevolent; they treat all things as straw dogs."

In a trance, Gu Xiachen absorbed a sliver of cultivation experience from the Grand Monarch of Taiyin. His resonance with the cosmic energy of the universe seemed to have deepened by yet another fraction.

With a casual sweep of his hand, a terrifying, boundless force shot out. All of Gosen’s surrounding soldiers and the two women were swept up in an invisible, yielding current, then exploded into countless ice shards with a bang, scattering outwards. With a flick of his sleeve, a gale rose from the ground, turning those blood-flecked ice shards into a crimson vortex that swirled down the high-altitude walkway.

"In the face of absolute power, all authority is illusion." Gu Xiachen walked up to the stunned Prince Gosen and patted his tense, muscular face.

"Don't kill me. Everything can be discussed." Gosen, after all, came from royalty; under this pressure, he managed to forcibly calm himself and squeeze out a smile. "Killing me will do you no good. You must be one of the skilled specialists secretly hired by Military Intelligence, right? Everything today was my fault. I am willing to compensate you with all the assets under my name."

"All my assets?" Gu Xiachen smiled. He found the prospect of collecting wealth appealing now. Having witnessed the opulence and strength of the various nations in the Star Alliance, Gu Xiachen felt he needed to do something for the Earth Federation.

"Under my private name, I have about five hundred billion Star Alliance gold coins. In a private vault beneath my estate on Davirmus, the core planet of the Star Alliance, I have also stored hundreds of tons of Starlight Silver and vast quantities of rare metals." Gosen’s breathing became shallow and rapid as he whispered, "If you help me, I can offer you more. My maternal clan doesn't possess much political capital, but my mother’s family controls the wealthiest interstellar merchant consortium in the Hiss Empire."

Gu Xiachen’s eyes brightened. Five hundred billion Star Alliance gold coins was highly attractive. It represented a massive amount of useful minerals. To the Earth Federation, the common metals of the Star Alliance were the rarest precious metals, whereas the rare metals most scarce in the Star Alliance were abundant on Earth. With this sum, Gu Xiachen could procure enough rare metals to astound Wolf the Poison and the Bearded Commander and send them back to Earth—so many valuable resources could potentially multiply the Earth Federation’s strength several times over.

"Five hundred billion Star Alliance gold coins! Can you transfer it?" Gu Xiachen smiled.

"Five hundred billion Star Alliance gold coins! Your Highness Prince Gosen, please don't try any tricks. I have a secure account with a Star Alliance underground bank right here. Transfer all the funds to this account immediately." Jin cheerfully handed Gosen a magnetic card. "Absolutely no tricks, alright? Five hundred billion Star Alliance gold coins is quite a haul. You should know that even using the Empire's power, you won't be able to trace this secure underground bank account."

Gosen frowned, looking at Gu Xiachen. "I need a promise from you!"

Gu Xiachen mercilessly crushed every bone in Gosen’s left shoulder without hesitation, stating coldly, "Transfer the funds, or die."

Gu Xiachen had gradually become accustomed to viewing ordinary people through the eyes of a cultivator, accustomed to acting with the methods of a cultivator. A promise? Did a cultivator need to promise anything to a mortal?

Gosen screamed in agony. He tremblingly inserted Jin's magnetic card into his personal terminal and slowly began entering the account number, password, and transfer amount.

Jin meticulously monitored Gosen's every move. Five hundred billion Star Alliance gold coins was a significant income even for the Hook organization, especially since she was the only one deployed for this operation; the profit-to-effort ratio was exceptionally high.

In the distance, several small, black-bat-shaped warships suddenly appeared in the sky, rapidly closing in. Only three minutes had passed since the conflict erupted between Gu Xiachen and Gosen; the Hiss Empire's response speed was impressive. Behind those black bat-ships, three tertiary warships were even visible.

Holmes let out a sinister grin. He clapped his hands together, and a streamlined, five-meter-long "sniper cannon" materialized in his grasp. He steadily mounted the cannon on the high-altitude walkway and pulled the trigger without even aiming.

Dong, dong, dong, dong, dong! Five successive dull roars echoed. The blast wave from the muzzle nearly threw Gosen and Jin off their feet.

The five black bat-ships were blasted through with transparent holes the size of water tanks, from hull to hull. Dense smoke and flames erupted from the breaches. In a tenth of a second, the five vessels disintegrated into powder mid-air. Countless shattered fragments, trailing smoke, plummeted toward the ground, accompanied by shocked shrieks from Hiss personnel on the traffic lanes above and below.

Holmes roared softly, rapidly channeling his spiritual energy into the cannon in his hands.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Three massive explosions followed. This time, the sniper cannon did not fire solid shells but three cone-shaped blue energy beams.

The energy beams struck the three tertiary warships in the distance immediately upon exiting the muzzle. With piercing screeches, large sections of the three Star Alliance standard tertiary warships, each over three thousand meters long, vaporized. The trailing sections, trailing thick smoke, plunged toward the ground. The warships' engine sections exploded at low altitude, generating three small mushroom clouds that rose into the sky. Blinding light and roaring flames surged outward in all directions.

"No!" Prince Gosen screamed hysterically, "You executioners!"

Beep-beep. Two sounds emanated from Gosen’s personal terminal. Transfer successful. The five hundred billion Star Alliance gold coins in his private account were all transferred to the Hook secure account.

Gu Xiachen whistled softly, then issued a low command: "Holmes, make it look good."

Holmes nimbly retracted the sniper cannon into his body in a stream of light. To Gosen’s horrified gaze, Holmes, with no regard for dignity, kicked him hard in the groin.

With a snap, Gosen collapsed to his knees, clutching his lower body, screaming. Holmes chuckled softly, "Don't start thinking about things you shouldn't. The throne is not yours to covet."

Gu Xiachen seized Gosen by the hair and delivered a savage slap that knocked out a row of his teeth. "This is just an informal warning. Do not make me come looking for you again."

Gosen looked up at Gu Xiachen as if grasping a sudden realization, roaring hoarsely, "It was my brothers who sent you here—"

Tossing Gosen aside, Gu Xiachen, along with Holmes and Jin, turned and left. The trio sprinted toward a civilian vehicle parked further away. Holmes brutally yanked open the door, tossing the two Hiss occupants out. The three boarded the car and quickly lifted off, speeding onto another high-altitude walkway already plunged into chaos. Within moments, they merged with the swarming traffic.

Gosen, whose soft tissues in the lower body had sustained comminuted injuries, staggered to his feet. He screamed toward the sky, "I won't let you go! I won't let you go! Bastards! Who says I don't deserve that thing? Who says I am inferior to you people?"

Having stirred up trouble within the Hiss Imperial Family, Gu Xiachen cast a spell to alter the appearances of the three, driving the stolen vehicle directly into "Unfallen Sacred Hiss City," the largest urban center in the Hiss capital and the area closest to the Imperial Palace.

Following Jin's directions, Holmes steered the car onto a ring road outside the city. It was unclear what secret code the Hook organization used for communication, but Jin led the two, after abandoning the stolen car, through several street corners until a waiting vehicle was found curbside.

After swapping cars several times and changing out of their uniforms, the trio arrived at a residential district on the far eastern edge of the city, an area favored by Ru people.

The population density of Unfallen Sacred Hiss City was more than ten times that of Yafeik, yet the affluent residential area Jin brought them to featured villas that were staggeringly spacious and luxurious.

This massive residence even housed an elderly butler and dozens of male and female servants. The massive crest emblazoned on the ancient metal gate signified the extraordinary status of this estate’s owner.

"Alright, welcome to one of my many homes!"

Standing in the estate's vast living room, Jin chuckled and said to Gu Xiachen, "My father's overt identity is the President of the 'Integrity Merchant Guild,' ranked 1,578th in the Hiss Empire. Our guild monopolizes over eighty percent of the Hiss Empire's fur trade."

"That powerful?" Holmes exclaimed in surprise.

"Of course! All merchant guilds that dared to compete with us in the fur trade had their merchant ships destroyed by despicable pirates!" Jin lifted her head proudly.

Gu Xiachen remained silent for a moment, only managing to give Jin a thumbs-up. Playing unfair competition to this extent was truly formidable.

Just then, the estate’s old butler stumbled into the living room, followed closely by a squad of soldiers dressed in black uniforms.

A haughty, squeaky voice commanded, "I suspect foreign spies have infiltrated this place. Search this estate! Make sure every corner is scrutinized!"

Ten experts radiating powerful esoteric energy, flanked a tall young man who strode in. The moment he entered, his eyes locked onto Jin.

Even with Gu Xiachen's spell altering Jin’s appearance, her current features were still too exceptional.

Gu Xiachen rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. Was he having a run-in with princes today? He had come to kill a Hiss Imperial Concubine; did he have to eliminate all the princes first? The enraged Emperor Tartar Hiss would probably tear the last surviving Prince Hailis to shreds!

Before Gu Xiachen could figure out how to handle the current situation, the tall youth rushed up to Jin with a fawning smile, a pale pink flower appearing from somewhere in his hand. "Respected lady, I am Prince Grenta Hiss, the First Prince of the Hiss Empire. May I have the honor of knowing your name?"

Jin looked anxiously toward Gu Xiachen, who sighed helplessly and turned to gaze out at the spacious, beautiful courtyard visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Grenta Hiss reached out to grasp Jin's shoulder, smiling, "I happen to be hosting a private gathering this evening, attended by many of the Empire's noble daughters. I fully expect to see your beautiful presence there, won't I? I will send someone over with an outfit appropriate for you later; you must wear it."

Jin sighed mournfully and shouted dramatically toward Gu Xiachen, "My dear Brother, I am carrying your child! Are you really going to let me be humiliated like this?"

The smile froze instantly on Grintar's face, and a dense wave of killing intent erupted from him.

Gu Xiechen turned around, his expression equally troubled, and sighed toward Jin, "Why is it always this one?"

Ignoring the ten ability users pressing in on him step by step, Gu Xiechen offered a wry smile, "Your Highness, how many gold coins are in your private account?"

Holm played his part perfectly, drawing two large-caliber, long-barreled handguns, and roared, "Fire!"

Grintar suddenly burst into maniacal laughter.