Into the upper dimension. The fleet carrying the Corpse Emperor and other Dao Alliance Grandmasters was hurtling forward.

Inside the command cabin of the fleet's flagship, the Corpse Emperor, True Man Bai Shui, True Man Han He, and over twenty other Void Realm Grandmasters were seated around a circular table. All of them maintained a meditative posture—eyes gazing at the nose, nose at the heart—deeply immersed in their subtle Daoist realms. Gradually, wisps of various colors could be seen rising from the heads of these Dao Alliance leaders, weaving a swirling mist above the table.

After a long silence, True Man Bai Shui suddenly opened his eyes and sneered, "Just letting it go like that? Gu Xichen is not just your apprentice, Old Corpse, we all owe him a favor."

True Man Han He added coldly, "Old Corpse, you aren't intentionally letting us dwell on this favor to let our inner demons fester, are you?"

True Man Han He's tone carried a hint of jest, but the reality was indeed so. Grandmasters from sects like Kunlun and Zhongnan all owed Gu Xichen an immense favor. If they allowed the Red Dragon King, who killed Gu Xichen, to go unretaliated, this debt of gratitude would certainly blossom into a source of inner demons for these Grandmasters. At their current early Void Realm stage, True Man Bai Shui, True Man Han He, and others couldn't fully grasp the severity. Once their cultivation deepened, perhaps even at the moment of their final ascension, this Dao heart demon could reduce their entire life's cultivation to dust.

The Corpse Emperor, shrouded in a dense black mist, suddenly opened his eyes. He let out a sinister, cold snort: "Nonsense, stinking beyond measure. Am I that kind of person? Peng Hua is safe; his Natal Primordial Spirit Tablet hasn't shattered. Xichen is a hundred times more cunning than him; he couldn't possibly be in danger."

After a brief silence, the Corpse Emperor sneered, "I merely wanted an excuse to beat someone up."

True Man Bai Shui's eyebrows drooped, and he gave a dry, mock scolding: "You look for an excuse to bring someone back, and you drag us all along?"

True Man Han He snorted coldly, "Another piece of stinking zombie nonsense. If you just wanted to beat someone up, with your strength, obliterating that heretical monk would have been more than enough. Why leave him alive?"

The Corpse Emperor rolled his eyes. He looked coldly at the twenty-odd Grandmasters seated there and sneered, "Do you really not understand?"

A group of sly, cunning old foxes exchanged glances and simultaneously burst into knowing laughter. These two dozen Void Realm masters had just put on a magnificent show of dominance against the Red Dragon King, and the Corpse Emperor had severely wounded him. This was enough to deter certain malevolent elements among the Roman people, forcing them to abandon their petty ambitions toward the Earth Federation.

Since they lacked the capability to directly confront the Earth Federation, the Roman Dark Four Heavenly Kings would have to settle their internal squabbles. No matter how many ancestral statues they recovered, the Dao Alliance's overall strength still subtly suppressed them; they absolutely dared not engage the Dao Alliance head-on. Since signs of internal dissent were already emerging among them, the Corpse Emperor, who originally intended to execute the Red Dragon King in anger, naturally wanted the Red Dragon King to live well—the more chaotic the Roman internal affairs, the better.

More importantly, precisely because the Church and the Pantheon had concealed their true strength, what did the existence of a power greater than the Corpse Emperor and his peers signify? It represented a formidable strength unmatched within the current Dao Alliance, suggesting that the Church likely harbored other powerful entities. Coupled with the Pantheon having over a dozen Void Realm experts, it meant that the combined strength of the Church and the Pantheon was already comparable to the current Dao Alliance. With such "allies" lurking nearby, how could the Corpse Emperor and the others truly risk conflict with the Romans?

"Since our two junior disciples are safe and sound, we must plan more thoroughly," stated a purple-robed old Daoist whose appearance resembled a shrew, yet he carried himself with complete dignity and imposing majesty. "Our many allies within the Dao Alliance have never hidden our strength, and in previous conflicts with the Romans, we always exerted our utmost. The Church and the Pantheon acting this way—their intentions are damnable, truly damnable!"

All the Grandmasters looked up at this old Daoist. This imposing purple-robed figure was the Sect Master of the "Heavenly Evil Sect," the most significant sect within the Dao Alliance's heterodox path, second only to the Nine Nether Dao—he was the "Evil Dao Lord."

However, including the Evil Dao Lord himself, every Grandmaster's face flushed slightly. "Our many allies within the Dao Alliance have never hidden our strength..." Saying this might fool the Romans, the Church, and the Pantheon, but attempting to deceive the Dao Alliance's own allies was bordering on shamelessness.

The Grandmasters present knew perfectly well: which household didn't keep a few trump cards hidden? Take the Nine Nether Dao, for instance—that calcified Zombie Divine Dragon—this fact was no secret among the Dao Alliance high command.

After a few dry chuckles, the Corpse Emperor straightened his posture and said with mock seriousness, "We shall show our sincerity!"

True Man Bai Shui, True Man Han He, and the other Dao Alliance leaders responded in dry unison, "Alas, the bright moon is reflected in a muddy ditch!"

True Man Bai Shui smiled, "We must dispatch people to thoroughly investigate the backgrounds of those two factions. The moles we have planted within them can now be activated."

True Man Han He coldly stated, "Furthermore, we must also prepare for a military resolution. As the saying goes, those not of our race must have different hearts. The fact that the Church concealed such powerful experts makes their true intentions perfectly clear. Do they truly believe our Dao Alliance sects are fools? A gentleman can be deceived by proper form. However..."

At this, all the Grandmasters present burst into laughter, shaking their heads repeatedly. "We are not gentlemen!" Even the Grandmasters associated with the Four Fiends of the Heavenly Realm laughed so radiantly. With such brazen and unrestrained thick skin, these Void Realm Grandmasters truly approached the Dao itself!

What could twenty-odd Void Realm Grandmasters accomplish by convening? Nobody knew. Nobody understood. If you weren't a Void Realm existence, you couldn't possibly fathom what went on in their minds.

The small fleet streaked through subspace, heading toward Earth at maximum velocity.

Yet, somehow, the number of warships within the fleet seemed to be gradually decreasing. By the end, only a small contingent remained, consisting of six Southern Heaven Gate-class battleships and a dozen Northern Heaven Gate-class warships speeding through subspace.

Just as the fleet was about to reach Earth, tens of thousands of high-energy beams howled in from all directions, showering the fleet like a torrential downpour. Over three hundred warships, nearly three kilometers in length, flawlessly white, and vaguely olive-shaped with six flowing wing-like protrusions on either side, burst forth from behind a torrent of energy. Nearly ten thousand main cannons unleashed fire at the fastest frequency. This sudden assault threw the small fleet into chaos, and seven or eight warships exploded in mid-air immediately.

The fleet commander—a former Space Fleet Colonel poached from the Earth Federation military by the Hadward Defense Corporation—roared, "It's the Church's Six-Winged Angel-class battleships! I saw them in secret military intelligence! Damn it, it's the Church's fleet!"

Before the words even left his mouth, nearly three hundred savage warships, clad entirely in pure silver, emerged from the rear. These ships were also nearly three kilometers long, their design resembling a cluster of wolf fangs pieced together, emitting a chillingly fierce light. This fleet, which also charged out from behind an energy surge zone, was still over one hundred thousand kilometers away from the Corpse Emperor's fleet. Simultaneously, nearly a thousand armor plates of varying sizes on every warship slid open rapidly. Each warship unleashed nearly a thousand torpedoes and missiles of diverse calibers.

Long plumes of flame churned the subspace, stirring up chaotic energy tempests.

The fleet commander roared in despair, "The Pantheon's 'Wolf King-class battleships'! Good God!"

The Corpse Emperor shouted sternly, "Insolent! Full counterattack! Fellow Daoists, we—"

The Corpse Emperor's words were cut short as a silver light and dozens of black streaks of intense light burst forth from the two encircling fleets. A twelve-meter-tall, six-winged angel named Zite, wielding a massive, gleaming greatsword, carved a silver streak over a thousand meters long, charging directly towards the Corpse Emperor's flagship. A silver giant wolf nearly ten meters tall, accompanied by several wolfmen, minotaurs, and various strange creatures of different fur colors, transformed into streaks of black light, hurtling towards them.

The Corpse Emperor, True Man Bai Shui, True Man Han He, and twelve other Grandmasters emerged from the warship with cold smiles.

Spotting Zite, who was exhibiting the most arrogance, the Corpse Emperor threw his head back and laughed, "We cultivators value respect for our elders above all else. I am the oldest here, so this birdman is mine!"

After three loud laughs, a black mist rose from the Corpse Emperor's head. From within the mist, a bone-white seal the size of a water vat, emitting soaring, evil ghostly fire, rushed out. The Corpse Emperor clenched both fists tightly, instantly teleported tens of thousands of kilometers mid-air, and directed a punch, condensed with all his vital essence and spirit, towards Zite's sternum with seemingly slow motion.

Zite scornfully swung his sword in response. The light sword and the Corpse Emperor's fist collided violently.

The Corpse Emperor grunted in pain. His coarse cloth robe was instantly incinerated by the intense Holy Flame, thick black smoke erupted from his entire body, and his skin was almost instantly burned away by the Holy Flame. The immense force of the light sword blasted the Corpse Emperor back several hundred kilometers, where he slammed into a small asteroid that had just flown past, shattering the celestial body, which was hundreds of kilometers in diameter, into dust.

Zite wasn't unharmed either. His body shuddered as the overwhelming brute force of the Corpse Emperor's punch, like a sudden mountain flood, hurled him back tens of kilometers. He staggered backward several steps before finally managing to steady himself.

True Man Bai Shui and True Man Han He exchanged a look, their mouths twitching slightly, both displaying a faint, cold smile.

But in the blink of an eye, this cold smile vanished without a trace, as if it had never appeared on their faces.

"Hey you brute! Your Church and our Asian Dao Alliance are allies; why are you committing acts that delight our enemies and pain our friends?" True Man Bai Shui adopted the imposing dignity befitting the Kunlun Sect Master and sternly rebuked the staggering Zite in the distance.

Zite glared at True Man Bai Shui with utter hatred and sneered, "Allies? No, how could my race ever be allies with you cultivators? You cruel, heartless, cold, and barbaric cultivators—have you forgotten our existence?"

True Man Bai Shui and True Man Han He glanced at each other. Both shook their heads simultaneously. "Sorry, your race? We've never heard of it!"