Everything shall be done according to the ancient traditions of the Guohua. After Duca loaded his mother's coffin onto the Aziack Shield, Gu Xiechen offered only a brief statement to Peng Hua.

Peng Hua became instantly animated, practically dancing as he commandeered a vast storage bay aboard the battleship to serve as a funeral hall, driving a contingent of Yafeek young officers into a frenzy. They utilized every piece of white silk, white flower, and black gauze available on the vessel to create a profoundly traditional mourning space.

The battleship boasted numerous multi-functional production lines. Following Peng Hua's instructions, Xiao slightly rewrote a few programming sequences, swiftly manufacturing a batch of gongs, ou'nas, ritual drums, and other instruments. A cohort of newly modified combat robots, fitted with synthetic muscles and skin, donned mournful, stark white coarse linen shrouds, lining up inside the hall to play with ear-splitting clamor.

Xiao Yiqiu’s coffin rested, encircled by green pines, emerald cypress, and white silk banners. Approximately two thousand Yafeek soldiers, clad in sackcloth and mourning weeds, knelt on either side of the coffin, wailing mournfully, each crying out as if they had lost their own parent, tears and mucus spraying several feet. This was entirely out of necessity; if the sound of their grief lessened even slightly, the supervising Hadwor mercenaries would deliver a sharp crack of the whip—a whip woven from alloy wire that could nearly take a man's life with a single blow. These supposedly hard-bitten individuals found their legs going soft; they dared not stop crying.

Solemn, sorrowful music resonated within the hall. Within a large, ancient-style bronze tripod, fierce flames roared. Several Yafeek soldiers marched back and forth, casting vast amounts of incense, candles, and joss paper into the great cauldron. Even Peng Hua’s privately hoarded natural Longdan Xiang (Dragon’s Gall Incense) was donated. Large chunks of ambergris burned within the cauldron, releasing swirling blue smoke, the dense fragrance enough to make one nearly faint.

Gu Xiechen, accompanied by Fu Yaming and Jin, bowed deeply three times toward the coffin with utmost reverence, offering three sticks of pure incense.

Duca, whose mind was nearly exploding from the complexity of the procedure, knelt on the ground, dizzy, repeatedly kowtowing to thank Gu Xiechen and the others. He suddenly realized that some of the ancient traditions of Guohua were even more intricate than the ceremonies of the Roman people. Why must it be so complicated? Yet, he could sense the intense longing for the deceased woven into the fabric of these elaborate rites.

Gu Xiechen walked over to Duca and offered a few soft words of comfort.

Just two hours prior, Xiao had already interfaced with the Earth Federation Central Command’s lists of fallen and missing soldiers, obtaining all of Duca’s mother's complete file.

Xiao Yiqiu, female, prior to her disappearance, was the Commander of the Earth Federation Greater East Asia Region’s Direct Special Operations Brigade, holding the rank of Colonel. She inherited the ancient martial art Jiuyang Zhengang. The Xiao Clan held deep, covert influence within the East Asian Military Region, their lineage ancient. Legend claimed the Xiao Clan’s history dated back to the Spring and Autumn period of ancient Guohua. The family ethos was extremely conservative, deeply traditional, and utterly stubborn. The clan members’ methods were notoriously radical and violent. The current Clan Head, Xiao Liefeng, held the rank of Federation Lieutenant General, commanding the Greater East Asia Military Region’s organic space fleets and marine corps, wielding immense power.

There was a saying within the Federation Military Ministry: the Ministry Head himself was a fierce and cunning old wolf, and Xiao Liefeng was one of that old wolf's most lethally sharp teeth.

To gain the acknowledgment of such a conservative, traditional, yet immensely powerful ancient family—to have them acknowledge Xiao Yiqiu, to have them acknowledge Duca—would be difficult, exceedingly difficult.

Therefore, Gu Xiechen could only allow Xiao Yiqiu’s coffin to remain temporarily aboard the battleship. Only after he made contact and negotiated with the Xiao Clan members could Xiao Yiqiu be interred in the ancestral grave. Given the ironclad friendship between Gu Xiechen and the 'Poison Wolf' (Xiao Liefeng), and the years of rapport and affection between the Poison Wolf and Xiao Liefeng, this matter should not present major obstacles.

Duca had no objections to any of this; he placed his trust in Gu Xiechen without reservation.

As the two were discussing this matter, Xiao, who had just undergone a transfer into a body resembling an eight-legged crab and was scuttling rapidly across the floor, zipped in. He shouted loudly, "Boss Gu, hey, there's trouble. This is the latest data I've collected regarding the Earth Federation. I swear, I didn't browse those subscription-based pornographic websites, nor did I poke around the data zones of the Federation Banks. Uh, I am a purely innocent super electronic life form; I wouldn't do such things!"

Sssshh-shh-shh—more than a dozen light screens dropped from the walls of the cabin housing the funeral hall. Vast amounts of data flashed continuously, and Gu Xiechen’s expression immediately soured.

"It's only been a little over two years. How did things become like this?"

The compiled data generally summarized the following points:

Firstly, the Earth Federation Military Ministry had lost control over the majority of the thirteen star system's planets. Only the coalition forces commanded by Federation Lieutenant General Jiang Long, Major General Fu Hu, and Siren, Director of the Federation Special Operations Bureau, controlled the twelfth and thirteenth planets of the thirteen-star system. The other eleven planets had been seized by various other factions. The forces controlled by the Holy See occupied the first, second, third, and fourth planets. The forces controlled by the Pantheon of Gods occupied the fifth, sixth, and seventh planets. The army under the command of the new King Hieronymus occupied the eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh planets.

Secondly, numerous representatives in the Earth Federation’s Upper and Lower Houses had filed motions of no confidence against the Federation Military Ministry. The Speaker of the Federation Parliament, Jean Joann, pointed out that the Ministry's reckless declaration of war against the Roman Kingdom constituted a crime against all Federation citizens, accusing them of conspiracy and treasonous plots to overthrow the Federation civilian government. Parliament demanded the Military Ministry immediately cease all actions against the Roman Kingdom and enter sincere peace negotiations.

Thirdly, the Holy See and the Pantheon of Gods had begun manifesting divine miracles two years ago, continuously intensifying their proselytizing efforts among Federation citizens. Over the past two years, they had constructed a large number of colony ships. Unbeknownst to many, over twenty billion Federation citizens had voluntarily or been forcibly relocated to the thirteen-star sector. According to classified intelligence obtained by Xiao, the silhouettes of massive Roman warships were present during these migration operations; the Romans were participating in the relocation efforts orchestrated by the Holy See and the Pantheon of Gods.

Fourthly, classified intelligence from the Federation Military Ministry confirmed that the Holy See and the Pantheon of Gods had jointly launched a surprise attack on the Asian Dao Alliance. Several Grandmasters of the Dao Alliance had ventured out months ago to Planet Paradise, clashing with the Scarlet Dragon King, one of the four Heavenly Kings of Roman Darkness. During their return journey to Earth, they were ambushed by the Holy See and the Pantheon of Gods. The Dao Alliance Grandmasters were forced to retreat, while the Holy See and the Pantheon of Gods suffered substantial losses.

"Madness!" Gu Xiechen stared blankly at the data, turning with a sense of bewilderment toward Peng Hua, who was equally dumbfounded.

How could things have escalated this way? The Holy See and the Pantheon of Gods clearly intended to establish their own sovereignty, but where did they derive such confidence? What force drove them to this? Had they forgotten the two previous religious wars before the War of '93, where the three mutually antagonistic factions suffered heavy losses under the sudden strike of the Roman Pantheon? It took all three combined forces to force a stalemate against the Roman Pantheon. Now, they dared to join forces to attack the Dao Alliance? Were they not afraid the Romans would profit from the chaos?

The Aziack Shield halted its advance roughly 200,000 kilometers from Earth. The mother ship's active defense system engaged, drawing in the surrounding micro-debris and dust with powerful gravity. Two hours later, the mothership had transformed into a small celestial body, orbiting the sun on a trajectory set by Xiao.

Using the secret communication channel of the Nine Nether Dao, Peng Hua repeatedly called the contact codes for the Nine Nether Sect, but there was no response.

Frantically anxious, Peng Hua nearly smashed the communication device in front of him. Suddenly, a dull-witted Nine Nether Dao disciple—whose green hair hadn't even been fully washed clean—appeared on the dark light screen. The confused, sluggish novice stared blankly at Peng Hua and Gu Xiechen for a moment before grinning toothily, "Eldest Senior Brother, Little Junior Brother, you’re back? Ah, I was wondering why this strange device kept making that 'hua-hua-hua' noise today. Heh heh, I almost forgot how to use it!"

The next instant, the Corpse Emperor, his face looking slightly haggard, appeared on the screen. He swept his hand, sending the clumsy novice flying away.

Unconcealed ecstasy suddenly bloomed across the Corpse Emperor's face. He roared with laughter, "Peng Hua, Xiechen, you’re back! Is everything well? I received word several days ago that you showed up on Planet Paradise. Why did it take you until today to contact me? Hmm, where did you go causing trouble this time?"

Peng Hua stared blankly at the Corpse Emperor, clearly seeing the toll taken on his Vital Essence. He cried out sharply, "Master, who dared harm you? Your disciple will surely avenge you!"

Clang! Behind Peng Hua, two golden fleshy wings unfurled with a heavy rush of wind. His skin turned the color of molten gold. Two golden fangs, half a foot long, protruded from Peng Hua's mouth, and the blood-red light in his eyes shot out over ten feet. Such imposing might, such fierce glory—truly worthy of the title 'Flying Night Yaksha.'

"Oh? Flying Night Yaksha!" The Corpse Emperor exclaimed in surprise, his conjecture proven correct: "Excellent, excellent! Our Nine Nether Dao has gained another master! Quickly, tell your master what you encountered during these past two years!"

Gu Xiechen gently pushed Peng Hua behind him and bowed respectfully to the Corpse Emperor, "Master, your disciple has returned."

The Corpse Emperor scrutinized Gu Xiechen from head to toe and smiled contentedly, "It is good that you are back, very good. For these past two years, you were the one who worried me most! Peng Hua has his Vital Essence Tablet within the sect, so I knew he was safe. But you, lacking cultivation, if any deviation occurred, it would truly pain your Master. It is good that you are back, good that you are back!"

The affection the Corpse Emperor held for this adopted disciple, Gu Xiechen, was not diminished in the slightest because he could not cultivate; in fact, precisely because Gu Xiechen couldn't cultivate, the Master showed him even greater care. He had even entrusted his eldest disciple to Gu Xiechen, ostensibly so Gu Xiechen could teach Peng Hua lessons on conduct, but truly, it was to find a 'bodyguard' for Gu Xiechen. Gu Xiechen remembered this kindness.

Now, the sheer joy and relief in the Corpse Emperor's voice were akin to parents seeing their long-wandering child return home safely. On the dead, somber face of the (jiangshi), there was a warm glow, like spring sunshine blooming on the earth, emanating from his very bones.

As a body of Innate Constitution, Gu Xiechen’s perception of human emotion was extremely sharp. He could sense the paternal, almost fatherly, care in the Corpse Emperor’s words. This emotion almost confused Gu Xiechen—why would an ancient zombie of untold years possess such rich emotional capacity? It even made Gu Xiechen’s heart feel a little tight with empathy.

Lifting his right hand, he gently tapped the back of his head. Five streams of energy—red, white, cyan, black, and yellow—shot up several feet high from his crown. The five-colored energies surged and twisted like five immensely powerful flood dragons. Above the cloud mass formed by the convergence of the five energies, a hazy, heavy wave of water slowly rotated. The dense Yin Qi swept in all directions, and the spacious cabin was instantly filled with a heavy snowfall resembling goose feathers. This snow, paired with the howling lamentations of the two thousand Yafeek mourners, created an atmosphere of heart-wrenching sorrow.

The Corpse Emperor had always believed his psychological resilience was exceptionally strong. Thus, upon seeing Peng Hua had advanced to the Flying Night Yaksha realm and possessed boundless might, his heart had only given a violent twitch. But when he suddenly witnessed Gu Xiechen manifesting the sight of the Five Qi Returning to the Origin and the Three Flowers Gathering at the Apex, the Corpse Emperor shrieked in alarm and uncontrollably lunged forward, nearly smashing the communication device to pieces.

Almost in a state of exasperation, the Corpse Emperor roared, "Disciple, you, you—"

Gu Xiechen adopted a serious expression and cupped his hands towards the Corpse Emperor, "Master, your disciple has returned. In just over two years, my cultivation has reached the initial stage of the Void Realm."

A piercing scream, high enough to grate the eardrums, erupted from the Corpse Emperor’s throat. He jumped three Zhang high, pointing at Gu Xiechen on the screen and shrieking, "Two years? Void Realm? Are you joking with me? Has this old dog lived his entire life up to his backside? Two years? Void Realm? Do you want us old fellows to slit our own throats? Uh, Peng Hua, your junior brother, is he really—"

Peng Hua retracted the wings from his back, drew a cigar with profound gravity, and stuck it in his mouth. With a look that begged to be hit, he grumbled to the Corpse Emperor, "Master, what’s so strange about breaking through to the Void Realm in just two years? Junior Brother is a monster whose luck defies heaven. You can’t even handle this small matter. If I told you we brought back hundreds of thousands of immortal artifacts and weapons, wouldn't you suffer an aneurysm and pass out?"

The Corpse Emperor had no blood; the energy flowing within him was condensed Corpse Qi taken to its extreme, so he could not suffer an aneurysm.

However, when the Corpse Emperor heard Peng Hua claim they had brought back hundreds of thousands of immortal artifacts and weapons, his mind truly went blank. He stood frozen, nearly fainting from shock. "Gu Xiechen! I haven't disciplined you in a long time. Do you think teasing your Master is some kind of fun pastime?" After a full fifteen minutes, the Corpse Emperor finally snapped out of his daze and roared furiously at Peng Hua.

Gu Xiechen waved his hand, and a massive stream of shimmering, colorful light poured out of the Azure Lotus Ring. Blades, spears, swords, halberds, bells, and chimes—a complete formation of one hundred immortal artifacts spun slowly around Gu Xiechen.