He slammed her body down hard onto the ground. This was a supreme divine ability cultivated by the Corpse Emperor, famed as the 'Nine Revolutions Divine Demon Hand,' possessing immense power capable of overturning mountains and shifting fault lines. Delivered with full force, it was enough not only to crush an ordinary person but to shatter a sheer, ten-thousand-foot mountain into dust.

Gu Xichen urgently called out, "Master, slow down."

The Corpse Emperor paused, his fingers twitching slightly to halt the action of the menacing black claw, and he looked at Gu Xichen with incomprehension.

Smiling apologetically toward the Corpse Emperor, Gu Xichen walked over to the pale-faced Young Colonel who was clearly terrified, and asked in a flat tone, "Name, age, unit affiliation. Quickly."

Without a trace of warmth, his voice as chilling as the freezing winds of hell made the Young Colonel shudder violently. He stammered out a rigid reply: "Xiao Leizhen, thirty-seven, Colonel Aide-de-camp at the Staff Headquarters of the Federation's Heaven Star Expeditionary Force... I, I, my father is Xiao Yuxing. My uncle is the newly appointed Chairman of the Federal Council, Xiao Yusheng."

Why were all the nephews and sons of the Xiao family cut from the same cloth? Gu Xichen silently sized up Xiao Leizhen from head to toe, shaking his head. That damned ghost Xiao Leiting had been arrogant and tyrannical; this Xiao Leizhen was utterly despicable, speaking with such unpleasantness, as if he'd never been taught basic manners by parents. The Xiao family was an ancient lineage spanning thousands of years; how could this generation be so degenerate?

In front of everyone on the landing field, under the gaze of countless eyes, Gu Xichen delivered a sharp slap across Xiao Leizhen's face.

The Corpse Emperor smiled faintly, dissolving the black demonic claw formed by the Nine Revolutions Divine Demon Hand, and sneered:

"Xichen, you handle everything concerning your junior brothers. With Martial Uncle Baishui and Martial Uncle H anhe, those two old Daoists, standing here, if anyone dares to be dissatisfied, let them take it up with those two old bulls."

The Corpse Emperor cunningly invoked the prestige of True Man Baishui and True Man Hanhe, making the two old Daoists roll their eyes in exasperation. A mere Xiao family? The notorious reputation of the Nine Nether Dao would scare them stiff; did he really have to drag Kunlun and Zhongnan Mountain into this?

However, the two elders soon noticed the Corpse Emperor desperately blinking at them, while his peripheral vision deliberately flickered toward Lily.

The two Daoists instantly understood and nodded repeatedly, taking full responsibility for Ducat's entanglement. They felt intensely grateful to the Corpse Emperor; it was worth his many years of friendship. This was clearly a golden opportunity to curry favor with Ducat and Lily. Ducat was one thing; while the Solar True Fire was formidable, it was merely a weapon for killing. Kunlun and Zhongnan Mountain possessed countless lethal techniques and weren't desperate for such a trifle.

But the innate Azure Wood Qi—that was a supreme treasure of heaven and earth. With Lily possessing the innate Azure Wood Physique, if they cultivated her properly, there would be endless innate Azure Wood Qi in the future. This was the rarest spiritual energy, imbued with the strongest life force in the cosmos. Legend held that even a cultivator whose Nascent Soul was pierced could slowly recover with nourishment from even a wisp of this innate Azure Wood Qi to soothe their primordial spirit. For the entire cultivation world, Lily's value was simply incalculable.

As long as they fostered a good relationship with Lily, if a sect member or elder suffered a cultivation deviation or severe damage to their Golden Core, Nascent Soul, or primordial spirit, a tiny bit of innate Azure Wood Qi could preserve their foundation and their very lives. Was there anything better than this? The Innate Azure Wood Physique was a supreme spiritual body. As long as Lily's cultivation reached a certain level, dispensing a little innate Azure Wood Qi would be as effortless as an ordinary person spitting, harming her in no way, yet serving as a life-saving elixir! Gu Xichen saw the Corpse Emperor signaling the two old Daoists and merely chuckled inwardly, keeping quiet. Ducat was a Romani mixed-blood, something impossible to hide from the world; Lily was clearly a spirit race girl, visible at a glance. If they wanted to live within the Federation and develop in the cultivation world in the future, having no powerful backer was impossible. With the joint guarantee of the three Grandmasters—the Corpse Emperor, True Man Baishui, and True Man Hanhe—there were truly few who would dare provoke them within the Federation.

Kicking Xiao Leizhen sharply in the abdomen, Gu Xichen sneered, "Go tell your elders that Xiao Yiqqiu, Xiao's mother, will have her casket returned to the Xiao ancestral home in a few days. Don't try to put on airs with me; I don't fall for the posturing of Xiao Liefeng or Xiao Yusheng. Make them remember what I said: dare to make trouble, and I dare to..." Pausing, Gu Xichen didn't utter anything too vicious. He simply lightly placed a palm on a heavy fighter jet parked near the landing area, sending out a blast of cold, grayish-white energy. The jet abruptly shattered into a blizzard of ice crystals, scattering into the air.

Xiao Leizhen clutched his abdomen, rolled a few times on the ground, and scrambled up like a wounded wolf, not daring to glance back at Gu Xichen.

The Corpse Emperor frowned. How did this Xiao Leizhen end up with the rank of Colonel if he had such weak courage?

Poison Wolf, leading a large entourage and hurrying over, glared fiercely at the cowering Xiao Leizhen, muttering curses under his breath before giving a few brief instructions. An elderly man holding the rank of General immediately darkened upon hearing Poison Wolf's words and turned away with a few attendants. Clearly, Xiao Lei was in trouble. Whether he would be sent to the front lines to join a suicide squad would depend on Poison Wolf's mood; staff officers at the headquarters also had the task of gathering firsthand battlefield intelligence. Poison Wolf rushed to True Man Baishui, bowing deeply without a word:

"Poison Wolf, Outer Gate Steward Disciple of Kunlun, pays respects to the Sect Master True Man." Poison Wolf’s escorts were observant; seeing the Federal Marshal kneel before an old Daoist, they quickly formed a perimeter around Gu Xichen and his group, blocking the view of the busy officers and soldiers on the landing field. Gu Xichen smiled slightly; with a press of his palm, a hazy vapor rose from the ground, similarly distorting the sight of outsiders.

True Man Baishui gave Poison Wolf a cursory glance. As just an Outer Gate Steward Disciple, he wasn't worth much attention from True Man Baishui. Even though Poison Wolf was the Federation's sole Marshal and Chairman of the Military Department, compared to the colossal entity that was the Kunlun Sect, he was merely a pawn who could be easily replaced—nothing special.

Nodding neither warmly nor coldly, True Man Baishui smiled in a formulaic manner, "Poison Wolf, you've worked hard over the years. In the future, handle matters diligently. If your clan has any truly talented youths, Kunlun grants them priority enrollment!"

To promise priority enrollment for Poison Wolf's kin into Kunlun, in True Man Baishui's opinion, was already an act of extraordinary grace. Countless people throughout the world were desperate to enter the gates of Kunlun, many possessing excellent innate potential. What kind of fine talent could emerge from an Outer Gate Steward's family? True Man Baishui didn't believe it himself. Out of gratitude for Poison Wolf's years of strenuous effort in safeguarding Kunlun's secular interests, if even one person in Poison Wolf's family could cultivate, they would reluctantly be admitted. Gu Xichen coughed lightly, walked over to Poison Wolf, and, winking suggestively, laughed toward True Man Baishui, "Martial Uncle Baishui, Poison Wolf is my brother; our bond is closer than blood relatives."

True Man Baishui's expression became somewhat strange. How could he not know about Gu Xichen's affairs? What Gu Xichen said was somewhat absurd. Given his relationship with Gu Juechen, even if he dragged a random person off the street, that person would have a relationship a hundred times better with Gu Juechen than he did. To say his relationship with Poison Wolf was closer than brothers—wasn't that stating the obvious?

Noticing the strange looks from everyone around, Gu Xichen managed a dry laugh and quickly said:

"You know, anyone connected to me tends to have a bit of good luck."

True Man Baishui's brow twitched. He looked at Poison Wolf curiously. This Poison Wolf had absolutely no aptitude for cultivation; what kind of luck could he possess?

True Man Hanhe let out a loud "Heh heh" laugh, pointing at Lily and asking with a grin, "Nephew Gu, you're not suggesting that this Poison Wolf brat is also an Innate Physique?"

Gu Xichen smiled mysteriously, offering no reply. Instead, he pressed a hand against the middle of Poison Wolf's back, sending a bone-chilling cold energy shooting into the man's body. Stimulated by this cold energy, a dense yellow aura suddenly flared around Poison Wolf's form, with strands of yellow divine light constantly erupting from his pores. A thick, rich Post-Heaven Earth Qi permeated the surroundings. Poison Wolf's vital essence surged, and he couldn't help but let out a roar toward the sky—a powerful shout like a massive bell that pierced the clouds, shattering a white cloud overhead into dust.

The earth trembled. Poison Wolf's Nine Revolutions Profound Jade Art circulated rapidly. In the blink of an eye, he had connected with the surrounding earth veins and terrestrial energy. Yellow earth energies, resembling coiling dragons, burst forth from the earth beneath him, crashing into Poison Wolf's body with roars like great dragons. By the end, it was no longer Poison Wolf actively absorbing the earth energy; the earth energy was actively surging into his body.

Peak Golden Core, the Post-Heaven Earth Body, a perfectly realized earthen physique—this was the flawless Dao Body, an ultimate form only immortals were said to possess, utterly devoid of any other elemental flaws.

"The Post-Heaven Earth Body!" True Man Hanhe stared blankly, staggering back two steps as if seeing a ghost:

"This old Daoist saw this Poison Wolf brat back then; he couldn't cultivate!"

"The Post-Heaven Earth Body!" True Man Baishui smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits, "Its value is no less than the Innate Azure Wood Physique. The Nine Revolutions Profound Jade Art, ha ha, the Physical Cultivation lineage of Kunlun is about to rise!"

"The Post-Heaven Earth Body!" The Corpse Emperor swallowed hard, shaking his head forcefully, rubbing his eyes, and scrutinizing the earth-energy-drenched Poison Wolf. He hadn't misread it; it was the Post-Heaven Earth Body.

Then, the three simultaneously looked at Gu Xichen, their gazes filled with utter strangeness. Why was it that anyone associated with Gu Xichen experienced such dramatic transformations? The Solar True Fire had appeared, the Flying Night Yaksha Physique had manifested, the Dark Angel's Flame of Destruction had emerged, and now the Innate Azure Wood Physique.

Alright, that was shocking enough; shouldn't things settle down for a while? To suddenly have a Post-Heaven Earth Body appear—could such a perfect immortal body be conjured so recklessly?