With a deep breath, Yushou Zhe spoke contentedly, "I am now as powerful as the deities our Roman people have worshipped for generations. I am already a god; do you still intend to resist?" "God your mother's ass!" Kan Hua extended a middle finger toward Yushou Zhe, then spun around and roared at Ducat, "What are you waiting for? Shoot him!" Ducat let out a fierce roar, dropping to one knee in the void, his body leaning forward.

A massive rumbling erupted from the two 4x4 missile launchers strapped to his shoulders. Thirty-two beams of intense light, a mixture of cyan, silver, and red, shot out from the launchers. Thirty-two missiles, condensed purely from energy, hurtled toward Yushou Zhe at nearly the speed of light.

Gu Wuchen smiled. Yushou Zhe shouldn't have revealed the full extent of his cultivation techniques to him. Knowing that those he had killed before were merely clones, Gu Wuchen immediately grasped the essential truth.

He reached out and slapped his sword case; a flash of black and white sword light once again spanned the void, cleaving toward Yushou Zhe. Yushou Zhe looked upon the thirty-two beams of light fired by Ducat with disdain. He sneered, "The barrage of ten thousand cannons couldn't kill me just now, let alone this little bit from you...

Ah, ah!" The thirty-two beams of intense light exploded against Yushou Zhe's surface. His massive body was blasted backward, every bit of energy hitting him directly without the slightest waste. Yushou Zhe could never have dreamed that Ducat's missiles were mixed with Lily's Innate Cyan Wood Qi.

The Innate Cyan Wood Qi was almost the primordial source representing all life essence in the world. Yushou Zhe’s cultivation technique was also a derivative of Qi, representing the power of life, reproduction, and evolution. Facing the Cyan Wood Qi, his energy did not react in the slightest.

Wrapped by the Cyan Wood Qi, Ducat's energy-state missiles were like water sinking into milk, instantly penetrating Yushou Zhe's body. The thirty-two foreign energies erupted wildly inside Yushou Zhe. His body suddenly swelled, and a mouthful of cyan-purple blood sprayed from his lips.

Yushou Zhe looked toward them in disbelief: "How could you possibly injure me? Your energy levels are at least a hundred thousand times weaker than mine!" Gu Xialong exclaimed, "A single spark can start a prairie fire! You only know how to accumulate immense power, but do you know how to use it?" Yushou Zhe was stunned.

It was true; he now possessed power approaching that of a Celestial Immortal, but how was he supposed to wield such colossal strength? Was it just like throwing stones, transforming energy into pure energy bullets to strike people? Recalling the godlike, miraculous techniques of the Dao Alliance Grandmasters he had fought previously, Yushou Zhe’s face paled.

He roared in agitation and shame, "So what if I don't know? Once I capture you, I can analyze your brains for spiritual insights... Ouch!" Yushou Zhe screamed in pain.

In an instant, over a dozen sword holes perforated his body. Yushou Zhe shrieked, "Such fast swords!" A cyan-purple light shield enveloped his entire body like an eggshell. He let out a sinister, cackling laugh, "Forget it.

Though I don't understand any Dao arts, I possess the technology the Roman people are proud of! Be it technology or Dao arts, they are merely methods of utilizing the energy of heaven and earth. Since I have the energy, can't I figure out a way to wield it?" A billionaire never has to worry about finding ways to spend money.

Yushou Zhe now was a genuine billionaire, with countless ways to squander his assets. As the light shield manifested, thousands of shooting sparks flashed across it. In that instant, Gu Wuchen had struck Yushou Zhe with thousands of swords, but his current cultivation was insufficient to breach the shield.

Helpless, Gu Xialong could only summon his flying swords back, leading the group to retreat several miles. Yushou Zhe smiled toward Gu Wuchen, took a deep breath, and the wounds piercing his body healed rapidly, returning to normal in the blink of an eye. He lowered his head, pondering for a moment, then extended both hands.

A strange, gelatinous substance sprayed from his palms, instantly solidifying into a peculiar high-energy cannon, over ten meters long with a sleek profile and a barrel only as thick as a fist. The two energy forms—one male, one female—in the cloud altar above Yushou Zhe's head extended their hands and gently clasped them. A stream of cyan-purple energy jetted out from their palms, quickly flowing into the energy cannon.

Blinding cyan-purple light surged from the cannon. Yushou Zhe smiled faintly at Gu Wuchen, raised his hands, and fired a shot toward the sky. One shot pierced a fist-sized transparent hole clean through a Roman warship spanning ten thousand meters from bow to stern.

In an instant, the hull around the transparent hole vaporized into a diameter the size of a water vat, and continuous explosions erupted from within the warship. In just over twenty seconds, the vessel was blasted into scattered debris. "You have Dao arts; I have technology," Yushou Zhe sneered mysteriously.

"Daoists follow the old ways; technology pushes forward. How can you compare to me?" Gu Wuchen frowned. He scoffed, "I won't argue with you.

However, since I haven't found a good way to deal with you today, I'll leave." "Leave?" Yushou Zhe laughed maniacally, "You won't leave! All of you, stay behind!" Intense cyan-purple light shot out from between Yushou Zhe's eyebrows. Countless fist-sized spores carrying Yin and Yang energy swept toward Gu Xialong and the others.

In an instant, an area spanning ten thousand acres was shrouded in lightning. Three Golden Armored Puppets materialized before Gu Xialong. They retracted their warhammers and met the incoming torrent of lightning.

Accompanied by a deafening roar, all the lightning was completely absorbed by the warhammers. Yushou Zhe was stunned. He turned and fled.

His Celestial Immortal level power burst forth, and he vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye. Gu Xialong's Golden Armored Puppets were only at the Celestial Immortal level. Facing Yushou Zhe, who chose to flee immediately despite possessing equal power, Gu Wuchen could do nothing to stop him.

Seeing Yushou Zhe flee into the unknown, Gu Wuchen suddenly clapped his hands and laughed heartily: "Excellent! I was just worried about the Church's rapidly growing power and how the Roman people could contain them. Now, a monstrous Celestial Immortal has appeared.

Excellent, excellent! Hurry up and provide them with reinforcements; let them fight as fiercely as possible! Heh, now the strength of the two Roman kingdoms is barely balanced.

A Celestial Immortal freak is not something experts whose combined strength equals a Celestial Immortal—like those three thousand plus fellows—can handle. Excellent!" Clapping loudly, Gu Xialong quickly led his party onto the warship and departed from Ninth Star. Looking out the porthole at the massive crater on the surface of Ninth Star, Gu Wuchen let out a few cold laughs.

Yushou Zhe? They would surely meet again! But only when Gu Wuchen had sufficient confidence and certainty to strike him dead.

Until then, let the Roman people, the Papal States, and the Federation of Gods squabble amongst themselves. The Thirteen Star Cluster region would become a huge whirlpool, tightly sucking in the Roman people, the Papal States, and the Federation of Gods. In the coming decades, they would be unable to divert resources to scout outer star regions.

Coupled with the blockade Gu Wuchen intentionally set up, they could first fight a bloody battle within this star system. When Gu Wuchen possessed enough power, everything would be different. The only current concern was that the Federation of Gods' influence had been weakened to the extreme; how long could they survive in this chaotic zone?

"Eh, who cares? At worst, let the Papal States annex them," Gu Qichen irresponsibly tossed the issue aside. The warship turned back toward the planet occupied by Bolport.

Gu Xialong directly contacted Bolport and dropped nearly a billion pure-blood Roman people and the corresponding number of Spirit race servant clans onto Bolport's territory. Bolport was also straightforward, providing Gu Xialong with a massive amount of scientific research data—including almost all the technological data developed by the Roman Kingdom's Academy of Sciences since the War of '93. Having inherited the technology of the Roman Knights, Bolport no longer cared for this technology.

He was happy to trade it with Gu Xialong to foster goodwill for future meetings, perhaps even collaborations. Gu Wuchen was also very pleased with the exchange. With the advanced technology from the Star Alliance and the knowledge from Xiao Xiao's memory core, he also looked down upon the technological developments of the Roman Kingdom.

However, this technology served as a crucial stepping stone, allowing Earth Federation scientists and researchers to quickly grasp Star Alliance technology. The path of scientific research can never be accomplished overnight; there was a massive chasm between Star Alliance technology and Earth Federation technology, and the Roman Kingdom's current technology perfectly bridged that gap. With the Roman Kingdom's research materials as a foundation, the Earth Federation's technology could smoothly and rapidly ascend to the level of a mid-to-high-tier civilization.

Besides this technology, Gu Xialong returned to Heaven Star with fifty Super Dreadnoughts promised by Bolport. However, most of the electronic systems on these fifty super dreadnoughts were severely damaged. If Gu Xialong didn't possess vast storage artifacts, simply transporting them back to Heaven Star would have been a huge headache.

Fortunately, Gu Xialong only needed the high-energy cannons from these dreadnoughts; the hulls were intended to be dismantled for use as reinforcing armor for Heaven Star's defense system. Thus, the damaged electronic systems were actually more convenient for Gu Wuchen, as he wouldn't feel too bad dismantling them. The solar storm was still raging, but Gu Wuchen and his party returned safely to Heaven Star.

Coincidentally, Aredia, having absorbed the Innate Sacred Blood gifted by Gu Xialong, emerged from seclusion. She had also advanced to the early stage of Nascent Soul, and her physique had transformed into one based purely on the Solar True Fire. The dreadnoughts anchored near Heaven Star, and a small warship transported Gu Wuchen and the others back to the Pangu Base on Heaven Star.

Bill, Rox, the chief scientists from Hadvar Defense Company, and numerous scientific fanatics from the Federal Academy of Sciences were already waiting at the landing field. They had received news days earlier that Gu Wuchen would return with the Roman Kingdom's technology, an irresistible temptation for them. Hadvar Defense Company had completely relocated to Heaven Star, and important institutions like the Federal Academy of Sciences were migrating there too.

Therefore, upon hearing of Gu Xialong's return, these individuals immediately secured positions at the landing field. As soon as he stepped out of the hatch, Gu Wuchen sensed hundreds of greedy, light-drenched gazes fixed upon him. He looked with some alarm at the green-eyed scientists and offered a dry laugh.

Among them were scientists he recognized from Hadvar Defense Company, as well as the most famous bigwigs from the Federal Academy whose names frequently appeared in scientific literature. But there were more whom he didn't know—old men and women who looked frail enough to be blown over by the wind, yet their eyes held the fierce glint of predators spotting prey. Bill, Rox, along with several vice-presidents and presidents of the Federal Academy of Sciences, practically rushed up the gangway, hopping with excitement.

The group of elders, collectively centuries old, swarmed Gu Wuchen. One old woman patted him all over while screaming, "Where is the data? Where is the data?

Hand it over quickly, or we'll slice you open!" Another old man was more direct; he pulled out an ultra-high-frequency particle cutter and slashed at Gu Wuchen's Taiyin Robe, his voice raspy, "Old mates, charge! Quickly grab the data... Hey, Bill, stop snatching!

This data belongs to our Federal Academy of Sciences; you guys who play dirty tricks can't touch it!" The particle cutter struck Gu Wuchen's Taiyin Robe, and immediately several streams of Taiyin Qi firmly blocked the blade. The high-frequency particles collided and rubbed against the Taiyin Qi, spitting out large patches of ice mist. Gu Wuchen instantly became enraged.

He grabbed the old man wielding the weapon behind him and slapped him so hard he flew a considerable distance, roaring, "Are you senile? Have you forgotten basic human decency? Do you think you can be so arrogant just because you're leaders of the Federal Academy of Sciences?" His attack was swift and heavy; the old men clinging to him were knocked off the gangway with three punches and two kicks, leaving only an old woman clinging to his waist and Bill, a sinister smile on his face, alongside Rox.

He pulled an alloy box, about one foot in length, width, and height, from his sleeve and handed it to Bill. Rox, Gu Wuchen smiled, "One hundred ultra-high-capacity storage chips, all yours. Except for our own use, the rest will be freely available to all researchers outside the Federal Academy of Sciences system." Bill and Rox took the alloy box handed over by Gu Wuchen with beaming smiles, nimbly producing two alloy handcuffs and locking the box onto their wrists.

Bill laughed heartily, "Boss, rest assured, aside from those we select, not a single word of this data will reach those fellows from the Federal Academy of Sciences." He glared viciously at the several giants from the Federal Academy of Sciences sprawled on the ground, unable to move, grinding his teeth as he cursed, "Told you so for rejecting my admission application back then... just because my age didn't meet the standard?" The old woman clutching Gu Wuchen's waist shrieked, "This is the property of all human beings in the Federation; you can't hoard it!" Gu Wuchen looked at the old woman, simultaneously angry and exasperated, roaring, "Nonsense! I risked my life to make this trade and bring it back!

This is my personal property!" The old woman gritted her teeth and roared back, "In the name of the Federal Academy of Sciences, I order you to hand over all the data, or you are all committing treason and will be executed!" Light footsteps sounded. Fu Ya and Ming, their faces ashen, rushed up the gangway. Fu Ya grabbed the nearly bald head of the old woman and tossed her down the ramp.

Clapping her hands briskly, Fu Ya, Ming smiled charmingly at Gu Wuchen, "Leave these old women to me from now on... You've worked hard." She reached out to adjust Gu Wuchen's sleeve and collar, straightening his Taiyin Robe perfectly. Gu Wuchen looked at her gently, feeling refreshed and his mood instantly brightened, "It wasn't hard; the matter was quite simple.

How are things over here?" Fu Ya, Ming frowned. She sneered, "I don't know what's going on with the Earth Federation, but the design plans I provided for the Heaven Star Defense System were rejected. Their excuse was that they hadn't been verified by the Federal Academy of Sciences.

According to them, such a large project requires specially allocating funds for lengthy, detailed argumentation before approval." Gu Wuchen pursed his lips. He scoffed, "How much funding?" Fu Ya, Ming raised an eyebrow, "Converted by comprehensive purchasing power, one Star Alliance Gold Coin is about equivalent to three Earth Federation Coins. They say a project this size requires at least three trillion Federal Coins for on-site survey and various computational verifications.

Ten thousand Star Alliance Gold Coins would be enough for the Afik Kingdom to build several Tier One warships." Shaking his head, Gu Wuchen gently stroked Fu Ya and Ming's shoulders, "This is the Earth Federation—complex and contradictory." The old men and women thrown from the ramp struggled to their feet, supported by trusted aides. They glared furiously at Gu Wuchen and Fu Ya, Ming. The withered, bald head of the Federal Academy of Sciences' thirty-plus members squeezed through the crowd and strode toward the gangway.

With a cold snort, Gu Wuchen lightly tapped the sword case on his back. Everyone felt a stabbing pain in their eyes; thirty Insectoid soldiers fell to the ground, split into pieces. Gu Wuchen beckoned toward the Federal Academy of Sciences scientists.

Large groups of savage Hadvar soldiers and the specialized troops directly under Poison Wolf swarmed forward, brutally driving the group of frail old men and women away. A few soldiers were too heavy-handed, giving several of the elders black eyes. "You can master knowledge, but you cannot monopolize it.

Especially, you cannot monopolize knowledge as capital for profit," Gu Xialong shook his head. "Monopoly is harmful, especially to us merchants. Monopolizing the market causes one to lose the drive for progress, which is fatal to an enterprise or an individual." The base's military police arrived and dispersed the onlookers.

Immediately afterward, the Corpse Emperor, True Man Baishui, and True Man Hecran walked over together. From a distance, the Corpse Emperor boasted to the sky, "Where is that child Ducat? Xialong, my good disciple, where is your junior brother?

And that little girl named Lily—I shall take her in too!" True Man Baishui and True Man Hecran exchanged glances and simultaneously winked. Gu Xialong led his party quickly down the gangway to greet the three Grandmasters. Just as Gu Xialong was preparing to pay full respects to the Corpse Emperor, True Man Baishui flashed in front of the Corpse Emperor, helping Gu Wuchen up: "Ah, worthy nephew, no need for such ceremony.

Come, come, this is my last disciple, Daoist Zhengyi." A middle-aged Daoist, over eight feet tall, with a dignified appearance and moving with the rigid formality of a robot, stepped forward and gave Gu Wuchen a clean, crisp bow. True Man Baishui said proudly, "Nephew Wuchen, Daoist Zhengyi is my favorite pupil. Ah, although he hasn't had as many fortuitous encounters as you, I have devoted much effort to cultivating him these past few years, and he has reached the Soul Transformation stage.

Heh heh, two hundred years of hard work were not in vain; he did not disappoint my expectations. The Kunlun Secret Method is truly renowned. It is not easy for Daoist Zhengyi to reach the Soul Transformation realm with only two hundred years of cultivation." Of course, Gu Wuchen could also sense the faintly restless True Void within Daoist Zhengyi; clearly, he had only recently advanced to the Soul Transformation stage and could not yet control his own True Essence with ease.

True Man Hecran became displeased. He pulled Daoist Xiao Zhang forward excitedly, saying cheerfully, "Worthy nephew Gu, ah, Xiao Zhang has a long-standing friendship with you. This old Daoist has also worked hard these past few years.

Although Daoist Xiao Zhang's cultivation years are short, he has managed to reach the Soul Transformation stage, not failing my expectations!" Daoist Xiao Zhang nodded smugly at Gu Xialong, then arrogantly looked askance at Kan Hua. Kan Hua silently spread the wings on his back, and a layer of thick, viscous flame, soaring with evil Qi, ignited on his body. He grinned baring his golden fangs at the dumbfounded Daoist Xiao Zhang, saying calmly and carelessly, "The realm of the Flying Night Ghoul, the cultivation of the Golden Corpse, and I have begun to smelt the Solar True Fire.

Heh... How can a perfect zombie like me be compared to ordinary Dao practitioners? A dashing zombie like me, when appearing before beauties, will surely make them ignore all the common Taoists!" Daoist Xiao Zhang's face turned green, and Daoist Zhengyi also looked at Kan Hua with a strange expression.

Gu Xialong managed a dry laugh. He quickly said, "Just a little bit of good fortune, just a little bit of good fortune. Senior Brother Kan Hua accidentally absorbed some ancient essence blood, and it merged into his body without him realizing it, allowing him to manipulate the Solar True Fire.

How rare, ha ha ha, a zombie who can control the Solar True Fire, ha ha ha!"

Gu Wuchen managed a dry laugh, while True Man Baishui and True Man Hancran’s eyes twitched, casting peculiar glances at the Corpse Emperor, whose mouth hung wide open. Zombies, by their very nature, were creatures of absolute Yin, inherently fearful of all pure Yang energy. Now, here stood a zombie capable of controlling the True Fire of the Sun? And what’s more, this zombie could wield the unique Corpse Flame while manipulating solar fire—how was anyone supposed to compete? The two old Daoists stared intently at Kan Hua for a long moment, shaking their heads simultaneously; their own disciples, compared to Kan Hua, were simply not presentable.

Clearing his throat a few times, the Corpse Emperor forcefully squeezed between the two old Daoists who were busy showing off their own students. He frowned and asked, "Where are Ducate and Lily?"

Ducate solemnly straightened his uniform, taking Lily’s small hand as he approached the Corpse Emperor. The closer Lily got to the Corpse Emperor, the more terrified she became, until she instinctively hid behind Ducate, her small body trembling, afraid to meet the Corpse Emperor’s gaze. Lily possessed the Primordial Azure Wood power, the strongest life force in heaven and earth, while the Corpse Emperor commanded the ultimate Yin death energy of the Undead. Given the Corpse Emperor's immense cultivation, Lily was like a mere droplet of water approaching molten metal in a blast furnace; it was impossible for her not to feel instinctive dread.

Clutching Lily’s small hand tightly, Ducate strode forward to the Corpse Emperor, performing a profound kowtow—like an iron pillar falling or jade shattering—banging his head against the ground several times. "Disciple Xiao pays his respects to Master."

True Man Baishui and True Man Hancran twisted their lips. Despite their decades-long brotherhood with the Corpse Emperor, they grumbled internally about the old zombie accepting a Roman half-breed and a little Spirit Clan girl as disciples. This old zombie indulged Gu Wuchen too much! If Gu Wuchen hadn't pulled strings, this most rigid and conservative of zombies would never have accepted outsiders as apprentices. The Corpse Emperor usually only used pure Gu Huaguo citizens as his Corpse Servants; how could he possibly take two aliens as disciples? What kind of love potion had Gu Wuchen slipped him?

The Corpse Emperor looked at Ducate with satisfaction. That strapping lad is good material, he mused. A pity he’s alive; if he were deceased, I’d find a prime location to bury him, and in forty-nine years, he’d make excellent material for practicing the secret zombie arts. Ah, look at his build, his muscle... Tsk, the Corpse Emperor loved people with that general's bearing radiating killing intent.

Still, since he’d accepted him, he’d accept him. The Corpse Emperor was quite intrigued by Ducate’s unique abilities. Perhaps he could leverage Ducate’s powers to cultivate a few electronic zombies within the Nine Nether Dao?

Ah, though the Corpse Emperor was conservative and stubborn, he did possess a bit of spirit for adopting advanced technology. The last time Gu Wuchen contacted the Nine Nether Dao, several Mao Zombie generals took ages just to figure out a communicator, which had greatly stimulated the Corpse Emperor.

Seeing Ducate complete his bow to the Corpse Emperor, Lily closed her eyes, gritting her teeth fiercely, and bowed her head to the ground: "Li... 0 0 Li. 0 0 Li... 0 Li-ly. 0 0 greetings, Master."

The tiny, beautiful Lily, like a small daisy, knelt on the ground, trembling violently. The Corpse Emperor’s heart filled with pity. He immediately pulled Ducate up and casually tossed him aside, then carefully helped Lily to her feet. He smiled gently. "Lily? Hmm, do not be afraid. Though your Master might seem fierce, I cherish my disciples the most."

He looked seriously at Ducate and nodded. "Xiao? Very good, a brave man. From now on, if anyone dares to trouble you, invoke my title. Those who oppose my Nine Nether Dao disciples, merely wiping out their entire lineage is the lightest punishment. We might even grind their ancestors' bones to dust and scatter them to the wind, or refine them into Corpse Servants to be enslaved for eternity, just to soothe the rage in our hearts."

Ducate and Lily were stunned. Both were exceptionally perceptive individuals, acutely sensitive to goodwill and malice from outsiders. They had felt an unprecedented warmth from Gu Wuchen, which was why they followed him wholeheartedly. And now, from the Corpse Emperor, they sensed another, entirely new kind of warmth—the affection of a loving father for his child, the feeling of bright spring sunshine on a few tender shoots of grass.

Lily’s trembling ceased. She almost instinctively threw her arms around the Corpse Emperor's thick arm and smiled sweetly.

Ducate smiled too, sensing Lily’s joy. He looked at the Corpse Emperor with filial affection. The lingering shadow of Nankett in his heart shattered instantly; the Corpse Emperor instantaneously replaced Nankett’s position in Ducate’s heart, becoming even more intimate and close. And all this happened so silently that Ducate himself was barely aware of the transition.

The Corpse Emperor saw the filial devotion in Ducate and Lily, and his heart stirred. These were two pitiful children.

Gently patting Lily’s little head, the Corpse Emperor nodded to Ducate. "Once we settle things here, I will take you back to the Nine Nether Dao Sect to meet your martial uncles, martial aunts, your senior and junior martial brothers, and the younger generation of our sect... The Nine Nether Dao is a vast lineage; all members are one family."

True Man Baishui looked a little envious. How could this family of heretical cultivators in the Nine Nether Dao be so harmonious, like blood relatives? He chuckled dryly. "Nephews, hehe, let your martial uncle see your abilities? You have entered the school with skills already acquired; you must show the old zombie what you can do so he can tailor his teachings accordingly!"

Ducate and Lily both looked toward Gu Wuchen. Gu Wuchen nodded dismissively. "Show them. The initiation rites are done; no one can snatch you away from the Nine Nether Dao now."

When he said "snatch away," Gu Wuchen gave the two old Daoists a strangely meaningful look.

The two old Daoists stared blankly at Gu Wuchen. Were they seriously contemplating wrestling disciples away from the Corpse Emperor? Were this Roman half-breed and this Spirit Clan girl really worth fighting over? As they chuckled inwardly, a ball of golden flames and a mass of azure vapor suddenly erupted from Ducate and Lily, respectively.

Boom, boom, boom! Nine golden lights spun and danced behind Ducate, sending waves of heat exceeding several hundred thousand degrees sweeping outward, instantly melting the asphalt of the landing pad.

The two old Daoists shrieked in unison. "The Nine Yang Body, the True Sun Fire? Heavens above!"

Before their cries died down, the azure energy surging from Lily nearly made the eyeballs of the two Daoists pop out of their sockets. Such dense, pure, vibrantly energetic wood-attribute spiritual energy. Was it Yi Wood spirit energy? No, it wasn't—this was the aura of the Primordial, the Qi of the Primordial Azure Wood! Daoist Baishui leaped nearly three feet high, pointing frantically at Lily and shouting, "The Primordial Azure Wood Body... Good heavens, old zombie, what kind of luck have you stumbled upon!"

True Man Hancran’s beard nearly stood straight up. He hopped around, waving his arms and shouting, "The Primordial Azure Wood Body! Impossible, impossible! How could this be, how could this be?"

The brains of the two old Daoists were scrambled. They bared their teeth and claws, ready to pounce on Lily, genuinely harboring the thought of robbing and seizing the disciples.

The Corpse Emperor was also staring blankly at Ducate and Lily, glancing from one to the other. Suddenly, he threw his head back and let out a sharp, piercing laugh. After only a few bursts of laughter, the Corpse Emperor began to cough violently, bending over in embarrassment and hammering his chest with all his might. The dignified Corpse Emperor, a master of the Void Realm, had actually choked laughing!

The Nine Yang Body, the True Sun Fire—this... this... what technique could the Corpse Emperor possibly teach Ducate?

But the Primordial Azure Wood Body! The Corpse Emperor nearly fainted from laughing. There was nothing more to say. As long as Lily contributed a portion of her Azure Wood Qi to the Nine Nether Dao annually, the sect members could temper a piece of their souls into that Qi, making their divine souls even more indestructible. The effectiveness of all Soul-Shattering Techniques against Nine Nether Dao disciples would be sharply reduced by over seventy percent! Previously, the Holy Light of the Church was terrifyingly effective against them, but once the disciples fused with some of the Primordial Azure Wood Qi, the Holy Light would affect them no more than it would an ordinary person. The Corpse Emperor dared to lead the Nine Nether Dao disciples to confront the Church head-on! Joy! Such joy! The Corpse Emperor triumphantly roared at the slack-jawed True Man Baishui and True Man Hancran, "They are my disciples! They are my disciples! Hahahaha! I, the Corpse Emperor, dare not claim to be the strongest Void Realm Grandmaster in the Dao Alliance, but when it comes to my apprentices—hahaha!"

Kan Hua gleefully spread a pair of fleshy wings and let out a piercing shriek toward the sky.

Siren obediently spread her six wings, and the Flames of Dark Destruction surged skyward.

Aredia stood dumbfounded. Seeing Kan Hua and Siren both descending into frenzy, she decided to fully release the power she gained from merging with the Primordial Holy Blood. Her body instantly disintegrated into a mass of flames. In the intense light, only a faint, ethereal silhouette could be seen gliding within the blaze; her physical form had evolved into a peculiar existence nearing that of a Fire Spirit Body.

"Well, since it’s come to this..."

Looking at the two old Daoists who were nearly scared senseless, Gu Wuchen finally managed to restrain himself and did not reveal his Extreme Yin Qi, lest the two old men suffered fatal heart attacks on the spot.

Even so, the two Daoists were severely shaken. Good heavens, what a collection of monsters had the Corpse Emperor accepted as disciples? This, this, this was utterly against the natural order!

The male disciples like Kan Hua were one thing, but look at the Corpse Emperor’s three female disciples: Fuya was a queen, Jin Bi was even more abnormal than a queen, and Lily was actually the Primordial Azure Wood Body! How were other sects supposed to survive this? Fortunately, the Nine Nether Dao lacked corresponding cultivation methods and mantras; otherwise, True Man Baishui and True Man Hancran would genuinely have quarreled with the Corpse Emperor and forcefully demanded Lily be handed over to their own lineage. In Kunlun, there were remaining fragments of cultivation techniques corresponding to the Primordial Azure Wood Qi, and in Zhongnan Mountain, there were similar residual methods.

While this chaotic scene was unfolding, an impudent young man came running from a distance.

This youth was handsome and gallant, wearing a Federation military uniform with the rank of Colonel on his shoulder straps. He strode over, gave a cold glare to Ducate, who had already retracted his power, and sneered, "You are the bastard who brought shame upon the Xiao family name? Grandfather wants to see you; come with me! Bastard!" The moment the word "bastard" left his lips, a surge of killing intent rose sharply within Gu Wuchen.

But the Corpse Emperor reacted faster. He simply lunged, his claw grabbing toward the young Colonel.

"What damned nonsense is this? How dare you insult My disciple? You deserve complete extermination!"