The news of the destruction of Earth, the Mother Planet, had already begun to circulate quietly among the highest echelons of the Federation. Officials like Venom Wolf managed to maintain their composure, but the disciples from the various sects of the Dao Alliance were thrown into utter disarray, as if their ancestors had died all over again. Although the sects had decided to relocate their mountain gates to Heaven Star, quite a few disciples remained stationed at the ancestral mountain gates back on Earth.

What was lost was not just Earth itself, but nearly twenty percent of the disciples stationed there across all these sects, along with the memorial tablets, portraits, magical artifacts, and souvenirs left behind by generations of ancestors.

For the disciples of the Dao Alliance, who prized tradition and lineage above all else, this blow was simply too immense, too unbearable.

South of the Pangu Mountain Range on Heaven Star, the Federation’s new capital city was under construction. This yet-unnamed metropolis was a chaotic mess everywhere, save for the vicinity around the completely relocated Federation Headquarters building, which remained as tranquil as before. Magnificent buildings were encircled by lush flora and towering trees, while well-trained soldiers marched back and forth along the broad avenues.

Inside Venom Wolf’s private conference room, disciples remaining from various sects, including Yan Jiang, were engaged in a fierce argument with Venom Wolf. The Dao Alliance disciples were demanding that the Federation dispatch an armada to transport them back to Earth to investigate the details of the incident. Although Venom Wolf repeatedly assured them that others—Gu Xichen and the like—were already handling the matter, the shaken Dao Alliance disciples could hardly care less about such assurances. Their own ancestral mountain gates had been annihilated; if they did not rush back to see firsthand what had happened, how could they possibly answer to the founding masters of their respective sects?

If Venom Wolf had not been a formal disciple of Kunlun, these Dao Alliance disciples would have long since resorted to physical violence.

As the eldest and most senior disciple of the Nine Depths Dao sect on Heaven Star, Yan Jiang was screaming maniacally directly at Venom Wolf. His heart aching for his sect’s vital mountain stronghold, Yan Jiang had completely transformed into his zombie likeness. His skin had taken on a bizarre bronze hue, and four teeth, also bronze-colored but flashing with cold light, protruded more than half a foot from his mouth. He gripped Venom Wolf’s shoulders with both hands, his muscles trembling violently, making it clear that if Venom Wolf did not agree to his demands, he would lose control and attack.

Venom Wolf activated a sphere of True Essence to shield himself, choosing to ignore these impassioned Dao Alliance disciples.

Return to Earth to look around? Venom Wolf dared not take that risk. No one knew what method the enemy had used to instantly turn Earth into a black hole. What if there were further changes there? If the disciples sent back to scout were to suffer more casualties, Venom Wolf could not bear that responsibility.

Hundreds of soldiers from the Bugman Corps stood pressed against the walls, their compound eyes, devoid of any human emotion, fixed intensely on the nearly one hundred representatives from the various sects present.

Yan Jiang’s spittle sprayed onto Venom Wolf’s face as he roared, “Give us a warship—a transport vessel will do if that’s all you can spare—otherwise…”

Venom Wolf looked at Yan Jiang coldly, “I am a friend to your senior and junior brothers. Otherwise, what?”

Yan Jiang froze for a moment, then suddenly roared, “Damn it, I can’t worry about all that now! Even if my senior brother comes back and beats me for it, I must go back to Earth to see for myself!”

Swinging his fist, Yan Jiang threw a punch straight at Venom Wolf’s face. The zombie nature was inherently violent; once roused, he cared little for who Venom Wolf was.

With dozens of sharp cracking sounds—Pata, pata, pata—coming from the Dao Alliance disciples standing behind Yan Jiang, the jade talismans hanging from their belts, colored green, white, or black, shattered one after another. Wisps of pale smoke billowed out from the broken talismans, instantly sinking into the bodies of these disciples. An elder from the Myriad Buddha Sect, possessing cultivation at the early stage of Soul Transformation, suddenly shouted out in extreme excitement, “The various Sect Masters have succeeded! Fellow Daoists, strike together! Don't let a single one escape!”

Dozens of monks and Daoists simultaneously waved their hands, sending streaks of command sword light whistling out, piercing the walls of the Federation Building and rushing outside. Among the Dao Alliance disciples present, only those from the Nine Depths Dao, Kunlun Mountain, and Zhongnan Mountain remained still. Yan Jiang looked at them in confusion and asked, “What are you doing? Why are you sending out command signals for no reason?”

The Myriad Buddha Sect elder gave a strange laugh and suddenly brought his palm forward, striking toward Yan Jiang’s face. A palm-sized Myriad Buddha Seal rushed out from the monk’s palm, carrying a golden light and slamming viciously into Yan Jiang’s chest. The Zen power of Buddhism was the bane of the zombie lineage. Yan Jiang cried out in agony; possessing only early Nascent Soul cultivation, he was blasted nearly a hundred meters away, taking Venom Wolf, who stood behind him, with him. That Myriad Buddha Seal punched a bowl-sized hole through his chest, spraying green flesh and blood all over Venom Wolf’s face and front.

The few disciples from the Nine Depths Dao, Kunlun, and Zhongnan in the vicinity gasped in shock, simultaneously crying out and demanding if the Myriad Buddha Sect elder had gone mad. However, the dozens of cultivators from the other sects surrounding them all attacked at once. They did not deploy magical treasures but chose to launch the fastest and still potent Palm Thunder technique against the disciples of the Three Great Sects.

Amidst the deafening thunder, the dozen or so disciples from the Nine Depths Dao, Kunlun, and Zhongnan present all spat blood and collapsed. The physical bodies of cultivators were always frail; besieged by so many Palm Thunder strikes, they sustained severe injuries before they could even react. Blood soaked the ground, and the disciples of the Three Sects writhed in agony, only to be viciously stomped upon their bodies and heads by the other Dao Alliance disciples.

Yan Jiang roared, “Are you insane?”

The Myriad Buddha Sect elder sneered and delivered a backhand slap that sent Yan Jiang’s four longest zombie fangs flying out of his mouth. The old monk glanced disdainfully at Yan Jiang, who was only at the Nascent Soul level, then raised both hands, cheering loudly, “Fellow Daoists from all sides, this is a magnificent moment for our Dao Alliance to re-establish a new order! According to the prior plan, all Daoists will divide into three teams and attack the mountain gates of the Nine Depths Dao, Kunlun Mountain, and Zhongnan Mountain, respectively. Hahaha, since these sects have relocated their mountain gates, their protective arrays are not yet fully established—it will be a swift victory!”

Yan Jiang stared blankly. He used his hands to forcefully push against the ground, trying to leap up and fight the old monk to the death. But his chest had been pierced, and the Buddhist Zen power continued to erode his body and cultivation. Large plumes of black smoke constantly spewed from his chest; he had no strength left to even climb up.

For hundreds of years, the Nine Depths Dao, Kunlun, and Zhongnan Sects had held the leading position in the Dao Alliance, and their elders, through self-cultivation, had all reached the Soul Transformation stage. When Old Jun Valley refined legendary elixirs like the Void Shattering Pill, the elders of the Three Sects immediately ascended to the Void Realm. This time, when exploring the twelfth planet of the solar system, the elders of all three sects departed, leaving behind a large group of disciples and members behind.

As for other sects like the Heavenly Wu Sect, they often only had one cultivator at the Soul Transformation stage previously, some even just at the early stage.

It was only after Gu Xichen discovered Heaven Star, and the various sects obtained the lost cultivation scriptures and various methods from the star, that the cultivation of their disciples advanced by leaps and bounds. For example, Qinglian Jushi of the Righteous Qi Sect, whose personal strength was merely average in the Dao Alliance, only broke through to the peak of the Soul Transformation stage after obtaining a scripture called the Vast Righteous Qi Canon on Heaven Star. Coupled with the power of Old Jun Valley's elixirs, these sects managed to produce dozens of Void Realm cultivators.

As for the elders of these sects, who originally possessed cultivation only at the Nascent Soul or even the peak of the Golden Core stage, after obtaining the lost scriptures and various elixirs from Heaven Star, they had only gradually achieved cultivation at the Soul Transformation or even the Nascent Soul stage. Thus, while the elders of the Nine Depths Dao and the other two leading sects went exploring together, the elders of these other sects were left behind to look after their disciples.

Because of this disparity, the true strength of the disciples from the Nine Depths Dao and the other two sects was ironically weaker than the elders of these other sects. After all, the other sects had elders at the Soul Transformation stage, whereas the three leading sects had only left behind ordinary second-generation or even third-generation members, whose strongest cultivation only reached the Nascent Soul stage. Furthermore, the Nascent Soul cultivation of second-generation members like Yan Jiang had all been forcibly boosted by elixirs, making them no match for the older, established elders of those other sects.

Therefore, the plan conceived by the Myriad Buddha Sect, the Heavenly Evil Sect, the Righteous Qi Sect, and the others was almost flawless. Once the various Sect Masters outside successfully ambushed the elders of the Nine Depths Dao lineage, the elders and disciples remaining on Heaven Star would immediately launch a surprise attack on the members of the Three Sects. The disciples of the three sects could never have dreamed that their allies would suddenly turn against them. Coupled with the advantage in cultivation held by the major sects, breaking through the mountain gates of the three sects and plundering their secret treasuries and scriptures was absolutely certain.

Thus, as soon as Qinglian Jushi and the others managed to restrain Emperor Corpse and the others, they impatiently signaled their own subordinates, crushing the communication jade talismans crafted using secret techniques.

Originally, they did not need to be so hasty in attacking the disciples of the Three Sects, but they also feared others striking first to seize the greatest rewards. It was better to involve all sects together, which also allowed for mutual supervision, lest someone fish in troubled waters and claim an undue share of the profit.

Yan Jiang coughed up blood mouthful after mouthful. He and the members of Kunlun and Zhongnan could only watch helplessly as their betraying 'allies,' bearing sinister grins, advanced toward them and cast various binding restraints upon them. It was only slightly better for the Kunlun and Zhongnan disciples; they only had their True Essence restrained, unable to use spells or magical artifacts. But Yan Jiang and the other Nine Depths Dao disciples suffered immensely. The physical bodies of the Nine Depths Dao disciples were inherently powerful, making them all excellent in close combat. Therefore, just like Emperor Corpse, all their joints were pierced and secured tightly with golden hooks and jade locks.

Venom Wolf chose to resist, but his Bugman soldiers were no match for these cultivators. A single blast of Samadhi True Fire from a Nascent Soul cultivator instantly burned the Bugmen to ash. Venom Wolf, fighting with all his might, was beaten until his face was swollen and bruised, and all the bones in his limbs were shattered into powder.

By the time Gu Wuchen and the others returned to Heaven Star after using Lily’s innate Green Wood Qi to dispel the injuries inflicted by Daoist Mu, the attack by the numerous sects on the Three Great Sects had already lasted for two days and two nights.

Millions of kilometers away from Heaven Star, Dukat noticed that something was wrong even before the mother ship arrived. All the warships in the Heaven Star defense fleet had assumed attack formations, surrounding the warship he was on. Several super-mother ships, which had been handed over to the Heaven Star military for training pilots, were also listing unsteadily, clumsily pointing their bows toward him. The external armor plating on all weapon emplacements across the mother ships had retracted, with tens of thousands of high-energy cannons simultaneously locking onto him.

Gu Wuchen stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the Heaven Star defense fleet in the distance, and smiled very kindly, “How interesting. They are using the warships you, Dukat and Xiao, modified to attack us.”

Shaking his head, Gu Xichen sneered, “Dukat and Xiao, play with them for a while. Lily, protect Fuyah for me. Senior Brother Guohua, and you two Daoist priests, let’s go down and see!”

Guohua’s face dark, he was the first to flash out of the mother ship.

Daoist Little Zhang and Daoist Zhengyi also used magical artifacts for protection before flashing into space. Gu Xichen chuckled, put his arm around Fuyah, and kissed her fiercely before conjuring his True Magnetic Liangyi Light Splitting Sword, wrapping the three—Guohua, Daoist Little Zhang, and Daoist Zhengyi—in its light and instantly vanishing through the spatial barrier.

On Heaven Star, among the Three Oddities Mountain Range, within the Nine Yin Mountain’s Accumulated Corpse Ravine, lies the Nine Depths Soul Falling Cliff. This was the immortal cave left behind by an ancient Ghost Cultivator predecessor, and it now served as the mountain gate for the Nine Depths Dao.

The Nine Yin Mountain’s Accumulated Corpse Ravine, as its name suggested, connected directly to the Nine Depths Underworld, constantly exhaling the Yin Malevolence Qi from the earth’s core. This Qi mixed with the odd mountains, odd trees, and odd waters of the Three Oddities Mountain Range, generating a unique “Nine Depths Aura,” which was instantly fatal to living beings who approached but was immensely beneficial to all manner of zombies, ghosts, demons, and fiends. Ordinary cultivators who encountered this invisible, colorless Nine Depths Aura would dissolve into pus and blood within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea if they lacked Void Realm cultivation; even those with Void Realm cultivation could only hold out for the time it takes an incense stick to burn before they too would succumb to this natural toxic miasma if they did not retreat.

The Nine Depths Soul Falling Cliff was an even greater natural (juedi, deadly trap/place of absolute peril). It featured nine vents, each the size of a human head, from which blew the condensed Nine Depths Aura, nearly solidified. Due to the extremely high concentration of the Aura here, the originally colorless and odorless Nine Depths Aura was compressed into a purple-black cloud canopy rising upward, forming a magnificent, colorful canopy when illuminated by the heavenly light—truly magnificent to behold.

Nearly a thousand disciples of the Dao Alliance encircled the three captured disciples of the Nine Depths Dao, hovering about a hundred miles away from the cloud canopy. They were using the most malicious tortures to force the captives to reveal the method for breaking through the Nine Depths Aura to enter the mountain gate of the Nine Depths Dao.

Standing erect atop the cloud canopy was a coiled golden pillar, three feet in diameter and nine zhang high. Three-colored Samadhi True Fire—blue, purple, and white—burned atop the pillar. The three captured disciples of the Nine Depths Dao, including Yan Jiang, were chained to the pillar with golden links. The True Fire scorched their bodies with a hissing sound; large patches of flesh were burned clean away, revealing their dark-green bones.

An elder from the Righteous Qi Sect, wielding a black stone saber, was grinding his teeth as he hacked at Yan Jiang’s body, slicing off chunks of muscle piece by piece. The saw-toothed edge of the blade scraped hard against Yan Jiang’s bones, producing a grating sound that made one’s teeth ache: Gāzhī. Yet, Yan Jiang merely chuckled, mockingly taunting, “Keep cutting the flesh! If you cut off my meat, I’ll switch to cultivating Uncle Bone King’s Bone Cultivation technique; if you scrape even my bones clean, I’ll switch to Uncle Ghost King Wu Jian’s Ghost Cultivation technique; if you extinguish my three souls and six spirits, as long as a shred of remnant soul remains, I will convert to the evil path magic of the Chi Mei and Chi Liang fiends…” Yan Jiang spat a mouthful of saliva onto the face of the Righteous Qi Sect elder and cackled sinisterly, “We Nine Depths Dao disciples have no other merits, only that we are not afraid to die!”

Haha, haha! The two Nine Depths Dao disciples bound beside Yan Jiang burst into hysterical laughter. The expressions of the other Dao Alliance disciples darkened with rage. Over eighty percent of the Nine Depths Dao disciples had already died once—they were either zombies, vengeful ghosts, or various Chi Mei and Chi Liang entities. There was truly no effective way to threaten them.

The Myriad Buddha Sect elder rushed up to Yan Jiang in a frenzy, roaring, “This is your last chance! Otherwise, this poor monk will use his Natal Sarira to capture your souls and use the Demon-Subduing Golden Light of Zen to purify you day after day, making you suffer endless pain!”

Yan Jiang stuck out his scarlet tongue and licked his nose. He slowly lifted his head and arrogantly declared, “It doesn’t matter…”

“You!” The Dao Alliance disciples were all enraged. They surged forward, unleashing the most venomous restraints their respective sects possessed upon Yan Jiang and the others. But since Yan Jiang and his comrades were resolved not to reveal the method for piercing the Nine Depths Aura, the Dao Alliance disciples truly ran out of countermeasures.

Staring blankly at the Nine Depths Dao mountain gate shrouded by the dense Nine Depths Aura, an elder from the Myriad Buddha Sect frowned and said, “Forget it. Let’s wait for the Sect Masters to return before making further plans. Surely, even the Void Realm Grandmasters can find a way through this thing?”

The elders of the Myriad Buddha Sect and the others exchanged glances, all shaking their heads helplessly.

Waiting for the Void Realm Grandmasters to return before proceeding was certainly the best option, but… it was so humiliating! The Myriad Buddha Sect, the Righteous Qi Sect, and dozens of others had come this far; this wasn't just about losing face for their own sects, but it could seriously affect the allocation of spoils afterward. The accumulated wealth of the Three Great Sects over countless years—the thought alone made their mouths water. “Let’s try one more time!” The elder from the Righteous Qi Sect put away his black stone saber and said with a wry smile, “If we make absolutely no progress here, it will be… impossible to explain!”

The group looked at each other, then simultaneously replied listlessly. They summoned their sword lights and stepped onto clouds, cautiously approaching the Nine Depths Aura.

Yan Jiang suddenly shouted sternly, “Disciples of the Nine Depths Dao, hear my command! Defend the mountain gate! Do not engage in battle rashly! Anyone who dares to leave the Nine Depths Aura formation to save us is no longer a disciple of our Nine Depths Dao!”

Another Nine Depths Dao disciple roared, “Listen up, you scoundrels! Our Dao Masters might have been ambushed, and we are captured alive; we have no reason to live! The future of the Nine Depths Dao rests upon you! There are techniques, spiritual energy, and elixirs in the mountain gate—cultivate diligently, live well! Accumulate strength, and avenge us!”

The last Nine Depths Dao disciple called out lazily, “Just waste time with these bastards! We are beings of ghost and fiend, possessing endless lifespans; we are not afraid to outlast them! Listen clearly, you wretches: do not leave the Nine Depths Aura until the entire sect is composed of Void Realm cultivators!”

The three shouted in unison, “How satisfying, how satisfying! Hahaha, you are going to lose more people!”

A full thousand disciples of the Nine Depths Dao stood silently below the Nine Depths Soul Falling Cliff, staring up blankly at the three figures of Yan Jiang, whose bodies were scorched black. These disciples included ghosts, monsters, zombies, shadowy spirits, and all manner of fiends, with a thousand violent Mao Jiang zombies pacing restlessly around. The ghost-fire in all their eyes burned with extreme savagery, but they heeded the words of Yan Jiang and the others, and not one left the protection of the Nine Depths Aura.

When the thousand-plus disciples of the Dao Alliance arrived near the cloud canopy formed by the Nine Depths Aura, nine Zombie Generals, each twelve zhang tall, suddenly waved large black-purple banners in their hands. Black-purple gales suddenly erupted from nine holes beneath their feet, each as thick as a human head. The Nine Depths Aura cloud canopy rolled violently, transforming into countless illusions of venomous insects and ferocious beasts that swarmed toward the Dao Alliance disciples.

Huala! A hundred flying swords and magical treasures were tainted by the Nine Depths Aura, turning into scrap iron and falling away.

Wuwu! With a few strange sounds, the cloud-heads beneath a dozen cultivators at the Soul Transformation stage were infiltrated by the Nine Depths Aura. The extremely poisonous, malevolent energy began to erode them directly through their True Essence connection to the clouds. These Soul Transformation cultivators were so terrified they hurriedly abandoned their clouds, using sword light to rush high into the sky. The purple-black cloud layer swept across the surroundings with a strange whistling sound, covering an area of tens of miles in the toxic mist. Nearly a hundred Dao Alliance disciples were caught off guard and enveloped by the Nine Depths Aura, instantly dissolving into streams of pus and blood that rained down from the sky. The Dao Alliance disciples cried out in unison, “The most wicked Nine Depths Dao, refining this evil method to wreak havoc on the world—truly inhumane!”

Beneath the Nine Depths Aura, the disciples of the Nine Depths Dao watched the Dao Alliance disciples cursing them without a word. The ghost-fire in their red or green eyes burned fiercely, and the soaring resentment churned up the clouds across the sky. The wind howled across heaven and earth, carrying Yan Jiang and the other two’s laughter far, far away.

“Shameless scum! If our Nine Depths Dao’s Old Ancestor Dragon were still here, if our sect’s Guardian Corpse Generals were still around, would you dare be so arrogant?”

Yan Jiang laughed until he was gasping for breath and coughing. With each cough, a mouthful of Natal Essence Blood sprayed from his mouth, and the pitch of his laughter dropped three octaves. His life force rapidly dispersed, his aura nearing collapse.

The two Nine Depths Dao disciples beside Yan Jiang simultaneously shed bloody tears, whispering mournfully, “Who destroyed Earth? Who destroyed our Nine Depths Dao mountain gate? Wu wu…”

Yan Jiang remained silent, staring blankly into the void. Was the Nine Depths Dao truly finished? The thought of the zombie old dragon guarding the ancestral foundation and the Golden Corpse-level Corpse Generals stationed at the mountain gate sent a sharp, sudden pain through his heart, which hadn't truly beaten in countless years. Two streams of blood slowly flowed down his cheeks as the last vestiges of life force left his body.

The disciples of the Dao Alliance retreated to the vicinity of Yan Jiang and the other two. An elder from the Myriad Buddha Sect roared, "That demon is despicable! We... disciples, heed my command! We are heading to the mountain gates of Kunlun and Zhongnan to aid in the fighting. As for these demons here, let them have their arrogance for a moment. Once the sect leaders return, they will certainly have their reckoning!"

In the void, a streak of black-and-white sword light, spanning ten thousand li across the sky, suddenly flashed, and a cold voice stated indifferently, "There is no need to offer aid. You will perish a step before them, and they will follow soon after!"

Gu Xichen, leading Guo Hua and the others, stepped out from that brilliant black-and-white radiance. He gazed coldly at the stunned disciples of the Dao Alliance and ruthlessly swept his hand downward.

The True Magnetic Two Poles Light-Splitting Sword entered the spatial barrier, granting the assembled Dao Alliance disciples no chance to react, slicing directly across their throats. Bloodlight soared toward the heavens; the heads of over a thousand Dao Alliance disciples were propelled seven or eight zhang high, and countless screams, barely escaping their lips, were instantly swept away by the gale without a trace.

Hundreds of Nascent Souls and Sarira, nearly a hundred Primordial Spirits, surged from these headless corpses, fleeing wildly in all directions. Furthermore, over two hundred highly matured Golden Cores, reaching the Great Completion stage, along with Sarira equivalent to Golden Core cultivation, spun wildly, carrying streaks of bloodlight, attempting to emulate the fleeing Primordial Spirits and Nascent Souls by escaping via light (dùn).

Gu Xichen smiled kindly: "Since you have arrived, why not stay? You have shown such profound care for the disciples of my Nine Nether Dao; naturally, the Nine Nether Dao must offer a substantial return!"

Pouring all his true essence into his left sleeve, Gu Xichen unleashed the Waterfall Sleeve divine ability to its utmost. A sleeve shadow of gray-white hue, accompanied by the deafening roar of surging waves, swept across a thousand li. The pools and streams in the surrounding forests went mad; all the water vapor within a thousand li ascended, transforming into torrents of water waves that surged into the sleeve shadow, interweaving in the void to form an impenetrable cage.

The fleeing Primordial Spirits, Nascent Souls, Golden Cores, and Sarira were all reeled back into Gu Xichen's sleeve. He, accompanied by Yi Yun, traversed the void in an instant, arriving beside the decapitated Dao Alliance disciples. Wielding the Snow Soul Divine Claw—an ability unused for far too long—Gu Xichen plucked out all the Golden Cores whose maturity was insufficient to break free from their bodies, tossing the bloody relics toward the Nine Nether Soul-Losing Cliff.

"All disciples of the Nine Nether Dao, heed this order: immediately devour all the blood sustenance. Consume these Primordial Spirits, Nascent Souls, Golden Cores, and Sarira according to your respective cultivation levels, striving to advance your power!"

Over a thousand corpses, trailing bloodlight, chased into the Nine Nether Mists shrouded in hazy clouds. The disciples of the Nine Nether Dao, whose sha aura was already overflowing, roared with joy and soared upward, eagerly tearing into the bodies rich with vital essence and blood qi. According to their cultivation hierarchy, nearly a hundred Primordial Spirits, several hundred Nascent Souls, and over two hundred Golden Cores were completely divided and consumed by the Nine Nether Dao. The formidable nature of the Heretical Path cultivation method was immediately revealed: in just a quarter of an hour, the attending Nine Nether Dao disciples had, on average, advanced a minor tier in cultivation. Especially the dozens of zombies and malevolent ghosts who already possessed Nascent Soul cultivation barely managed to break through to the Soul Transformation stage.

Guo Hua grew anxious, hopping up and down: "Junior Brother, mine, mine!"

Gu Xichen smiled at Guo Hua and casually tossed the three Primordial Spirits of the strongest cultivation—mid-stage Soul Transformation—to him. Guo Hua opened his monstrous maw, howling as he swallowed the three Primordial Spirits whole.

The True Fire of the Sun and the Corpse Fire of the (Jiang Shen) erupted simultaneously. The three Primordial Spirits could only let out mournful wails. Guo Hua roared toward the heavens, his back muscles suddenly writhing, and a pair of flesh wings, spanning over twenty zhang, unfurled. The left wing blazed fiercely with the golden True Fire of the Sun, while the right wing held the scarlet Corpse Fire without releasing it. With a single fierce flap of the wings, a mountain peak several hundred meters high below was instantly incinerated into mere dust.

Little Daoist Zhang and Orthodox Daoist looked on, their vision dazzled. Advancing cultivation through the Heretical Path was this straightforward. Gu Xichen flashed to the side of Yan Jiang and the other two. Yan Jiang, who had been on the verge of death, suddenly felt his spirit lift, and he cried out happily, "Junior Brother Wu Chen!"

Gu Xichen nodded firmly and swung the Five Waters Dragon Whisker Fan fiercely across the golden chains binding Yan Jiang and the other two. The power of the Five Elemental True Waters erupted, splitting the golden chains as if they were tofu. Yan Jiang staggered and began to fall, but Gu Xichen swiftly caught him with one hand, tossing two Primordial Spirits and three Nascent Souls into his mouth.

Yan Jiang let out a piercing shriek, corpse qi rolling fiercely around him as he ravenously consumed the Primordial Spirits and Nascent Souls. The massive wounds on his body rapidly healed and regenerated, and his stature also abruptly grew by over an inch. Gu Xichen casually handed the four Primordial Spirits and six Nascent Souls he had kept for himself to the other two Nine Nether Dao disciples, then nodded: "Master self-detonated for our sake, perishing together with those hypocrites of the Dao Alliance. The other eight Martial Uncles were assassinated. We are now the highest-ranking members of the Nine Nether Dao." With these simple words, Yan Jiang and the other two Nine Nether Dao disciples simultaneously burst into bitter tears: "Master~" With a crack, a terrible shattering sound came from Yan Jiang’s chest—his heart, which had not beaten for countless years and was stiff as iron stone, suddenly fractured.

Guo Hua wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and flashed to Yan Jiang’s side, delivering a heavy slap across his face. Guo Hua roared, "What are you crying for? If you still have balls, follow us to kill people and avenge Master and the others! What are you crying for? Crying for what?"

Yan Jiang spat a stream of blood qi toward the sky and sneered, "Yes, kill people!"

Gu Xichen let out a few cold laughs and looked toward the Nine Nether Dao disciples within the dense mist: "Disciples at the peak of Golden Core and above, use whatever storage artifacts you have to collect the Nine Nether Mists! Quickly!"

The Nine Nether Dao disciples immediately set to work, taking out their personal storage artifacts and pouring the wicked Nine Nether Mists into the magical treasures. In just the time it takes to brew tea, the hazy cloud cover of the Nine Nether Mists in the void had thinned by nearly half.

Seeing that they had collected a sufficient quantity of the Nine Nether Mists, Gu Xichen laughed three times and, leading the many members of the Nine Nether Dao, soared into the sky, heading northwest toward the new mountain gate of the Kunlun Dao Sect: the Three Pure Mountain, Yellow Dragon Pool, Jade Green Lotus Cliff.

Their flight speed was swift. Gu Xichen summoned the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning to assist, and in an instant, the sky was filled with flashing lightning and roaring thunder, a torrential downpour sweeping a group of near-crazed cultivators, trailing rampant evil energy, forward. This sight terrified the common people below, forcing many to hide in temporary shelters.

Thousand-Mile Eye and Wind-Following Ear accompanied Gu Xichen on either side, flying alongside him. They employed their divine abilities to spy on the situation at the Three Pure Mountain, Yellow Dragon Pool, Jade Green Lotus Cliff.

Thousand-Mile Eye exclaimed in shock: "So many people have died; the ground is slick with blood!"

Wind-Following Ear cried out in alarm: "Bad! The Kunlun disciples have retreated into the Jade Void Palace. They have already lost thirty percent of their disciples, and they are all elite members above the Golden Core stage!"

The eyes of Orthodox Daoist instantly turned red, and he roared, "These damn—these damn..."

Having been tutored since childhood by True Man Bai Shui, Orthodox Daoist could not even manage to utter a single harsh word.

Gu Xichen’s face darkened as he coldly laughed: "These scoundrels acted fast. After ambushing our three sects' Grandmasters, they immediately ordered their disciples to attack. They didn't want to leave us a single opportunity!"

Through the continuous storm of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, it took Gu Xichen and his party a full quarter of an hour to rush from Nine Nether Mountain to Three Pure Mountain. Here, the Dao Alliance disciples besieging the new Kunlun Dao Sect gate outnumbered those who had attacked the Nine Nether Dao by more than ten times. Nearly ten thousand Dao Alliance disciples, all at least Golden Core stage, completely encircled the Jade Void Palace, which was enveloped in a layer of azure protective light, and were bombarding it relentlessly. Various lightning spells and sword lights rained down like raindrops, making the protective light outside the Jade Void Palace shake violently, threatening to break at any moment.

The Dao Alliance disciples attacking the Nine Nether Dao were led primarily by the Myriad Buddha Sect and several other Buddhist sects. They were skilled in Buddhist meditative arts, which were highly lethal to the Nine Nether Dao disciples. This is why only a little over a thousand people were sent to assault the Nine Nether Dao. Furthermore, the Nine Nether Dao mountain gate was inherently a place of absolute desolation, and the infamous Nine Nether Mists were well-known among the Dao Alliance members; thus, few were willing to chew on that hard bone.

In contrast, the new mountain gate of the Kunlun Dao Sect only had a few hastily arranged mountain protection formations and lacked the inherent threat of desolate terrain. Moreover, Kunlun's spells were subtle and wondrous, and there was no cultivation method in the cultivation world that served as an inherent counter to Kunlun magic. Therefore, the Dao Alliance disciples attacking the Jade Void Palace gate numbered over one hundred thousand.

Relatively speaking, the overall strength of the Kunlun Dao Sect far surpassed that of the Nine Nether Dao. The magical treasures of the Kunlun Dao Sect were coveted by cultivators throughout the world, whereas for the Nine Nether Dao artifacts? Which proper cultivator would willingly carry a pile of bones and skulls as artifacts? As cultivators, maintaining an air of immortal elegance was necessary. This was the reason why the Kunlun Dao Sect was besieged by so many people. However, no one expected Gu Xichen and his group to arrive so swiftly, nor did they anticipate Gu Xichen acting with such brutal ruthlessness, leaving no room for negotiation. Bringing the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning to full effect, the mass of dark clouds swept aside, and while the many Dao Alliance disciples continued their unrestrained assault on the Jade Void Palace's protective formation, the Nine Nether Dao disciples gritted their teeth and took out their storage artifacts, scattering the Nine Nether Mists across the void. Wind Master coldly sneered, urging the fierce wind to blow the Nine Nether Mists toward the Dao Alliance disciples. Whirlwinds carrying the Nine Nether Mists spun directly around the Dao Alliance disciples, wasting not a single bit of noxious vapor.

The Kunlun disciples could only huddle inside the Jade Void Palace in passive defense. The besieging Dao Alliance disciples had absolutely no concern about unexpected attacks; they gleefully unleashed their strongest moves downward, not even preparing any defense. Moreover, with over a hundred Soul Transformation stage elders from more than a dozen sects seated below, the Kunlun disciples could not possibly charge out to fight them to the death.

The Nine Nether Mists immediately demonstrated their supreme efficacy. The moment these completely unprepared Dao Alliance disciples came into contact with the Mists, they began to fall one after another, like sheaves of grain under a sickle.

The Soul Transformation elders present realized that the situation was amiss and were about to counterattack when Wind Master controlled a large amount of the Nine Nether Mists to surge toward them. These elders cried out "Woe!" before plummeting from the sky to the ground. Their final impression was of countless Nine Nether Dao disciples surging out of the clouds with bared teeth and claws, charging forward with murderous intent.

In the blink of an eye, nearly ten thousand Dao Alliance disciples were captured. Gu Xichen used the Grand Yin Secret Art to seal their cultivation and tossed them all onto the vast plaza before the Jade Void Palace gate.

The Kunlun disciples poured out of the Jade Void Palace in ecstatic joy, frantically questioning Orthodox Daoist about what had happened.

Orthodox Daoist's expression instantly turned extremely grim. The Earth had been destroyed; the elite disciples remaining at the Kunlun ancestral mountain gate were completely annihilated, and the few hidden masters within the sect had also turned to ash. The strongest disciples remaining within the Kunlun mountain gate were Orthodox Daoist's senior martial brothers, who had all perished tragically at the hands of their former allies during the recent chaotic battle.

Gu Xichen did not give Orthodox Daoist time to ponder further. He frankly recounted everything that had transpired over the past few days to the Kunlun disciples. When the Kunlun disciples heard that True Man Bai Shui and the many elders of their sect had all been ambushed and killed by members of the Dao Alliance, numerous disciples simultaneously wailed, collapsed to their knees, and wept.

Immediately afterward, a flash of movement was seen, and Gu Xichen strode up to a Kunlun disciple at the Nascent Soul stage, grabbing him and administering over a dozen slaps, causing him to spray blood and even spit out several teeth. "What are you crying for? Does crying help? All Kunlun disciples, heed my command! Pick up your flying swords and magic treasures, and come with me to find trouble with the Dao Alliance!"

With a loud shout, Gu Xichen, without waiting for the Kunlun disciples' reaction, waved his sleeves and soared into the sky with the Nine Nether Dao disciples.

Orthodox Daoist shouted a sharp command, and the Kunlun disciples snapped awake. They wiped the tears from their faces, gritted their teeth, and followed Gu Xichen into the air.

The same events transpired at the new mountain gate of Zhongnan Mountain—the Purple Cloud Peak, Jade Laying Celestial Pool, Purple Vine Valley. The Zhongnan disciples were also besieged by nearly ten thousand Dao Alliance disciples, all at least at the Golden Core Great Completion stage. They were relying on the mountain protection formation to hold out desperately. Just as their formation was about to break, Gu Xichen led his group to release the Nine Nether Mists around the perimeter, capturing all the Dao Alliance disciples in one sweep.

Subsequently, the disciples of the three sects joined forces, led by Gu Xichen, to sweep through the mountain gates of hundreds of large and small Dao Alliance sects, capturing alive every single member, from those who had formed their Golden Core to those who had just begun Qi Refining.

Ducate and Little Xiao had successfully gained control of all the warships in Paradise Star. Under the threat of the colossal mothership hanging high above, the low-level disciples of the numerous sects surrendered without resistance.

Then, a scene that shocked all the disciples of the Nine Nether Dao, Kunlun Mountain, and Zhongnan Mountain unfolded.

On the Nine Nether Soul-Losing Cliff, Gu Xichen, in front of tens of thousands of disciples from the three sects, asked Guo Hua for the folding screen previously given to him—a piece originating from the Hiss Empire, treated as a treasured heirloom, but which was, in reality, a small world. Under the horrified gazes of the multitude, Gu Xichen expelled the ultimate energy of ultimate Yin and extreme cold in heaven and earth—the Grand Yin Candle Flame—and took out massive quantities of Innate-grade materials to reforge this screen. Given the grade of the Grand Yin Blaze and the sheer amount of Innate-grade materials Gu Xichen used, this spiritual treasure, originally used by its former owner to raise pets and cultivate medicinal herbs, was forcibly elevated several grades by Gu Xichen. He expanded the inner world to a size spanning thirty thousand li, sufficient to house billions of people for recuperation and prosperity.

The original owner of this screen was immensely powerful; within it, he had buried several large spirit veins, making the spiritual energy extremely abundant. Even after Gu Xichen forcibly expanded the area, the concentration of spiritual energy remained comparable to some of the most blessed Grotto-Heavens on Earth.

Modifying this screen took Gu Xichen a full seven days and seven nights. The gray-white light of the Grand Yin Candle Flame illuminated the world. The prolonged, continuous forging caused the temperature within several hundred li to drop sharply, and white ice crystals began to fall from the sky. When even the low-level disciples of the three sects began to suffer frostbite from the ever-dropping temperatures, Gu Xichen finally completed the modification of the Fan Screen. He struck the final Grand Yin Talisman onto the screen.

The moment the Grand Yin Talisman shot out, dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky, and countless extremely fine purple-red lightning bolts surged toward Gu Xichen’s head from all directions. A terrifying pressure descended upon him.

Except for the Nine Nether Soul-Losing Cliff where Gu Xichen stood, the surrounding mountains shook simultaneously, and with a boom, they sank several inches downward.

The disciples of the three sects froze for a moment, then roared in unison, "Heavenly Tribulation! Heavenly Tribulation! How can there be a Heavenly Tribulation?"

Gu Xichen laughed sharply: "An object of great malice and evil emerges, and Heaven and Earth issue a warning... Heh heh, what use is a Heavenly Tribulation of this magnitude?"

With a burst of wild laughter, Gu Xichen grew arrogant and used a spirit formula to retract the folding screen. After his improvements, the once-large screen had transformed into a folding fan adorned with ink-wash landscape paintings. The front of the fan depicted exquisite scenery that constantly shifted, while the back bore three sinister, ominous characters: You Ming Shan (Netherworld Fan). Raising the Netherworld Fan and waving it around, hundreds of large and small Dao Alliance sects, along with their tens of thousands of disciples from all generations, flew up. They were sucked into the Netherworld Fan amid horrified shrieks. Everyone clearly saw that as their bodies entered the fan, a strange earthen-yellow light flashed above their heads, and these people seemed to lose all their intelligence, their eyes becoming vacant and dull.

With every person absorbed, the landscape painting on the Netherworld Fan gained a sliver of vitality. Once the hundreds of thousands of people were drawn in, the scenery on the fan surface appeared almost tangible, threatening to leap off the surface.

The sound of thunder in the sky grew louder, and thirty-six streaks of purple-red heavenly lightning, as thick as water vats, blasted down toward Gu Xichen.

Gu Xichen snorted coldly, opened his mouth, and exhaled. The Grand Yin Mysterious Pearl trailed a streak of Grand Yin Candle Flame hundreds of zhang long, soaring into the sky. Dozens of heavenly lightning bolts struck the Grand Yin Mysterious Pearl but were swallowed completely without even splashing a spark of fire.

Laughing coldly, Gu Xichen mentally commanded the Grand Yin Mysterious Pearl to rapidly fly toward the sky, absorbing the entire calamity cloud that was brewing the second wave of the tribulation.

With a wave of his hand, countless piercing screams erupted from the Netherworld Fan, and a column of black energy surged out, releasing tens of thousands of fist-sized cultivators. They roared and snarled like beasts, simultaneously unleashing palm lightning strikes toward the mountain ridges ahead. With a mighty crash, the mountain ridge ahead, ten thousand zhang high, was pulverized into dust by the combined force of the tens of thousands of cultivators.

Gu Xichen shook his hand again, and the tens of thousands of cultivators struggled before being sucked back into the Netherworld Fan by the black energy. Under the stunned gazes of everyone present, Gu Xichen handed the Netherworld Fan to Guo Hua.

He paused, then added, "The cultivators inside this Netherworld Fan will multiply and thrive, cultivating according to our sect's methods. From now on, the disciples of the Nine Nether Dao will never lack blood sustenance."

Guo Hua froze for a moment, then burst into wild ecstasy. "From now on, the disciples of the sects within this fan will retain only their basic instincts; they will breed like beasts, and their descendants will be controlled by the Netherworld Fan for generations, devoid of spiritual consciousness, living as mere puppets, eternal laborers for the Netherworld Fan." Gu Xichen's sinister words spread everywhere, frightening the numerous disciples of Kunlun and Zhongnan into retreating.

Orthodox Daoist and Little Daoist Zhang exhaled deeply, a hint of relaxed relief appearing on their faces. The resentment festering in their hearts had finally dissipated entirely. If they were to be enslaved for generations, how could they ever tolerate the betrayal of the Dao Alliance factions? Now, not only would they be slaves for generations, but their Nascent Souls and Primordial Spirits would also be harvested like crops by the Nine Nether Dao disciples to plunder their essence and power—this was true catharsis.

Only the Nine Nether Dao could commit such vicious acts; neither Orthodox Daoist nor Little Daoist Zhang would ever do such a thing.

Subtly, Orthodox Daoist and Little Daoist Zhang began to regard Gu Xichen with a measure of respect and awe.

Several days later, the disciples of the Nine Nether Dao, Kunlun, and Zhongnan Mountain formed a blood oath. All members swore a soul oath that the three sects would be friendly for all generations; any violation would result in utter annihilation and death.

From this day forward, the Dao Alliance consisted only of the Nine Nether Dao, Kunlun Mountain, and Zhongnan Mountain. These three great pillars stood firm, supporting the heavens of the Dao Alliance.