The fallen Holy Sith City of the Koyi Empire. Gu Yechen reclined comfortably on a chaise lounge on the second-floor balcony, gazing down at the ceaseless flow of traffic on the streets below.

This location was the most vibrant and sought-after district within the bustling commercial heart of the fallen Holy Sith City. To possess a luxurious residence here, especially in an antique building facing the street like the one Gu Yechen occupied, was the ultimate dream for every merchant in the Sith Empire. Any dwelling here signified inexhaustible wealth and a paramount position within merchant circles—a status unattainable for ordinary tradesmen. As for the common imperial citizens, they couldn't even dream of owning a single brick here.

But for an Imperial Prince like Hailis, being forcibly ejected from the palace district and compelled to reside in the merchant quarter was a **blatant insult.

At the very least, Hailis, seated beside Gu Yechen, wore a deeply displeased expression. He stared vacantly at the crowd moving beneath them, a burning, venomous hatred flickering in his eyes.

Gu Yechen occasionally glanced over at Hailis’s rapidly shifting countenance, finding it immensely amusing. After appreciating Hailis’s richly diverse expressions for a moment, Gu Yechen asked casually, “Any news?”

Hailis snapped out of his daze, nearly leaping off the chaise lounge. He handed Gu Yechen a storage chip. “It’s all here.”

Gu Yechen reviewed the intelligence within: the identities and backgrounds of the representatives from the three nations secretly conspiring with the Sith Empire to form a joint intervention force; their status within their respective national power structures; and the various clauses and intentions secretly discussed among the four powers. All intelligence regarding the intervention force was present—detailed and comprehensive. Beyond that, there was other information, such as the structure of the major powerful families within the Sith Empire and maps detailing their residences in the Imperial Capital.

“Your mother procured this?” Gu Yechen looked at Hailis with surprise.

“Though born of royalty, sometimes… a mother is still a mother!” Hailis looked up at the sky and said quietly, “In times like these, she is the only one who won't abandon me.”

Gu Yechen clapped Hailis firmly on the shoulder and chuckled, “Alright, leave the rest to me.”

Glancing at the sky, Gu Yechen brushed off his clothes, transforming them into the loose-fitting overcoat commonly worn by minor Sith merchants. Under Hailis’s shocked gaze, Gu Yechen twisted and shot upwards like a streak of water, instantly vanishing without a trace. A flush returned to Hailis’s face; he jumped up, a mixture of nervousness and excitement churning within him, clenching his fists as he paced a few times on the balcony.

After a few sharp breaths, Hailis cried out and summoned his personal maid who waited outside the door, shoving her roughly onto the floor before pressing himself down upon her.

“My dear, when I become Emperor of this realm, I will ennoble you as a Noble Consort!” Hailis vowed to the maid who had always attended him.

Gu Yechen, transformed into a line of water, streaked rapidly through the void. His spiritual sense had already enveloped the entire fallen Holy Sith City. He headed directly toward a magnificent estate nestled in the southeast corner of the Sith Imperial Palace. According to the intelligence, this estate was home to Duke Agujin, an incredibly powerful figure in the Sith Empire who controlled two-thirds of the empire’s commercial imports and exports. The Sith Imperial treasury was entirely in his hands. Three-quarters of all Sith Imperial overseas investments and fixed assets were also controlled by him.

To seize the throne, money was absolutely essential; to smoothly govern the entire empire after taking the throne, money was even more critical.

The water line slipped into a patch of white cloud hovering over the estate. Gu Yechen manifested his form, his spiritual sense instantly sweeping across the entire compound.

“Hmph? Interesting!”

Gu Yechen located his target, Agujin, immediately. The old fellow, well over five hundred years old, was engrossed in his secret chamber, fondling a pile of Starlight Silver. All the silver had been cast into the likeness of beautiful women. The old man lecherously stroked the exaggerated chests of the silver figures, a line of drool stretching over a foot from his mouth.

Truly a unique proclivity. Gu Yechen marveled at Agujin’s strange behavior. After a moment of thought, he executed the Mirror Flower Water Moon Grand Yin Evasion Technique, leaving several hazy illusions in the void, and effortlessly infiltrated Agujin’s secure chamber, which was protected by dozens of high-tech locks. He gently tapped Agujin on the shoulder.

Agujin chuckled and shook his head. “Stop messing around, little one. Didn’t I say? Do not disturb me when I am admiring my treasures. What is it?”

Chuckling as he spoke, Agujin turned around. In his right hand, he now held a purple-gold tube, slender as a child’s finger and exactly four inches and nine fen long. Agujin fiercely squeezed the base of the tube, and a puff of purple smoke, carrying a dazzling streak of light, shot out with a sharp whistle.

As the light erupted, the surrounding energy of Pure White Gold intensified greatly. Gu Yechen was startled and hastily executed the Grand Yin Evasion Technique, darting several feet to the side. The piercing light followed him with a shrill whistle. The purple smoke swirled and suddenly transformed into more than a dozen ferocious, skull-sized heads that lunged toward several vital points on Gu Yechen’s chest. The bright light also exploded, turning into a rain of light shards that peppered toward Gu Yechen’s vital areas. The light was blinding, the air thick with crisscrossing sharp energy.

Agujin’s round body nimbly retreated a dozen paces backward, quickly pulling a completely purple-gold talisman from his sleeve and igniting it with a miniature plasma lighter. He pointed and tossed the talisman toward Gu Yechen. The hundred-meter-high ceiling of the secret chamber suddenly crackled with electric light, and nine bolts of purple lightning, thick as water vats, spewed downward, transforming into nine ferocious dragons with bared fangs, lunging to swallow Gu Yechen whole.

Gu Yechen bellowed an appreciative sound. He struck out with his Waterfall Sleeve technique, instantly blasting the skulls formed from the purple smoke and countless light shards into dust. He used the Five Water Dragon Beard Fan to ward off the attack from above. A layer of water ripples, a full zhang thick, condensed above his head from the five-colored true water, effortlessly dissolving the nine bolts of lightning into nothingness. Electric light scattered everywhere. The erratic arcs of electricity landed on the pure silver statues of the beauties, melting them into silver puddles rolling across the floor.

Agujin shrieked wildly, his body trembling as he stared at the molten silver beauties on the ground. The fat on his body undulated like waves.

With a flash of residual image, Gu Yechen gave Agujin no chance to cause further trouble. He lunged to Agujin’s side in one step and clamped a hand around his thick neck. Bone-chilling Grand Yin energy flooded into Agujin’s body, paralyzing his ability to move. Amidst Agujin’s terrified screams, Gu Yechen produced a Spirit Restraining Talisman refined by Master Zhuozhi. He extracted a trace of true spirit from Agujin’s soul origin and affixed it to the talisman. He then cut Agujin’s finger and blended a drop of his vital blood into the talisman.

The meticulously crafted talisman, carved from white jade with intricate runic pathways outlined in purple-gold silk, emitted a soft chime. Wisps of auspicious energy flowed from the talisman, transforming into a cluster of auspicious clouds that circled Agujin three times before slowly integrating into his body. Gu Yechen watched Agujin with a cold sneer, tapped the talisman lightly with his finger, and spoke in a low voice, “Agujin.”

The obese body convulsed, and Agujin let out a miserable howl. Agony from the depths of his soul nearly caused him to faint, and viscous sweat erupted from every pore, instantly soaking his garments. Dripping sweat fell from the collar of Agujin’s tunic, wetting the floor.

“You are a demon!” Agujin looked at Gu Yechen in terror.

Gu Yechen sneered and lightly patted Agujin’s fleshy cheek. “You will find demons more lovable than me! Three days from now, at the Grand Court Assembly of the Sith Empire, you simply need to support His Highness Hailis in becoming the new Emperor of Sith. You don’t need to concern yourself with anything else!”

He squeezed Agujin’s cheek flesh hard and sneered, “Now, summon all the clansmen of yours who hold positions in the Sith government. You have a quarter of an hour to gather them.”

To reinforce the power of his words, Gu Yechen emitted a thread of Grand Yin Fiery Radiance from his finger, tracing it around the Spirit Restraining Talisman. Agujin broke out in cold sweat again, which was mixed with an oily residue. In the blink of an eye, he lost a significant amount of bulk, and a thick layer of oil accumulated on the floor. He looked at Gu Yechen in despair and slowly raised the communication device on his wrist.

Agujin commanded significant authority within his clan. A quarter of an hour later, nearly a hundred members of the Agujin clan serving in the Sith Empire had returned to the estate. One by one, Gu Yechen extracted a sliver of their true spirit and integrated it into the Spirit Restraining Talisman. In this manner, the entire Agujin family was firmly under Gu Yechen’s control.

After finishing this task, Gu Yechen ordered all of Agujin’s clansmen to keep silent before dismissing them. He grabbed Agujin by the neck, smiling genially as he probed, “Now, let’s discuss something serious. Who gave you that life-saving artifact and those talismans? Don’t tell me those things are the latest technological products from the Nian Si Empire, or I will kill you!”

Gu Yechen’s face was wreathed in smiles, but his smile was packed with terrifying killing intent. Agujin trembled, managing to squeeze out a sentence with great effort: “One of my grandsons was taken as an apprentice by the leader of the Broken Hook Ability Group. That is the life-saving tool he gave me. No one ever dared enter my secret chamber, which is why I used them when you slapped my shoulder just now!”

Daoist Mu took Agujin’s grandson as an apprentice? Gu Yechen looked at Agujin in surprise. This was information Hailis’s mother had not managed to gather. He hastily asked, “Where is your grandson?”

Agujin looked at Gu Yechen pitifully and said cautiously, “He was taken away; I don't know where. Over a dozen young members of the noble families of the Sith Empire were taken as his apprentices. Except for His Venerable Second Prince, who remained in the country, all the others were taken away.”

His spiritual sense swept across the entire fallen Holy Sith City. Gu Yechen frowned.

This time, he focused on distinguishing abnormal fluctuations in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Indeed, he discovered the presence of a cultivator within the Sith Imperial Palace, and his cultivation had reached the Peak of Spirit Transformation. This cultivator was currently with the Emperor of the Sith Empire, Tartasith. The cultivation technique practiced by this cultivator leaned heavily toward wood and earth attributes, causing his own aura to be almost indistinguishable from a tree trunk in a garden. Gu Yechen had failed to notice him during his initial sweep of the entire city with his spiritual sense.

With a cold snort, Gu Yechen admonished himself. He must act with even greater caution and vigilance in the future. The cultivation world was rife with strange arts and esoteric methods, especially since Daoist Mu claimed lineage from the true Kunlun sect. Who knew what techniques he possessed? If he were carelessly backstabbed, it would be truly humiliating.

Having located this cultivator, Gu Yechen’s spiritual sense concentrated in that direction. Like a wisp of clear wind, his spiritual sense hovered around Tartasith and the cultivator. His innate divine thought was formless and traceless, blending seamlessly with the surrounding heaven and earth. This cultivator at the peak of Spirit Transformation did not possess the ability to detect Gu Yechen’s spiritual sense. He was still excitedly discussing the four nations’ plan to intervene in the Yafike Empire with Tartasith.

Tartasith’s excitement centered on the fourteen administrative stars and numerous resource stars currently possessed by the Yafike Empire. He was even happier that the Sith Empire might have found an entry point to interfere in the Spiral Star Domain. He assured the cultivator, who went by the Daoist name Bai Ya (White Bud), that with Daoist Mu’s strong support, he could easily destroy the Yafike Empire. However, he hoped Daoist Mu would allow the Sith Empire to exclusively claim all benefits in the Spiral Star Domain, permitting the Sith Empire to occupy the various civilizations within it.

Daoist Bai Ya’s interest clearly lay elsewhere, not in the Yafike Empire. He merely required Tartasith to ensure the death of the Empress of the Yafike Empire, Fuyaming, and a few other individuals of unknown origin accompanying her. Gu Yechen’s spiritual sense noted that several portraits of Gu Yechen and Penghua were lying on the table next to Tartasith. Daoist Bai Ya emphasized that everyone in the portraits must be killed—this was a direct order from Daoist Mu himself. He further stressed to Tartasith that anyone who overheard any news related to the Broken Hook Ability Group from Fuyaming or Gu Yechen must also be eliminated, ensuring not a shred of the secret leaked out.

This was clearly an act of silencing witnesses!

Gu Yechen understood perfectly. Fuyaming’s grand establishment of the Yafike Empire had already drawn Daoist Mu’s attention. Since he intended to conceal the news of Jin’s survival, he naturally intended to strike viciously against Gu Yechen and his companions to eliminate them completely. The only question was why Daoist Mu wasn't acting personally? Was it because the Polaris Empire was too distant, and Daoist Mu hadn't had time to arrive personally? Was his plan to use the intervention force to tie down Gu Yechen and the others, buying time for Daoist Mu to arrive himself?

After pondering for a while, Gu Yechen still couldn't grasp Daoist Mu’s true scheme.

Coincidentally, the conversation between Daoist Bai Ya and Tartasith had just concluded, and Daoist Bai Ya was preparing to take his leave. Gu Yechen decided to use his Immortal Heaven Realm strength to execute a divine ability recorded in the Great Desolation Sutra: the "Thousand Li Household Step Covering a Thousand Li Divine Movement." He took out a tree root imbued with a large amount of wood-attribute spiritual energy, placed it before him, rapidly paced around it drawing a celestial diagram, spat out three mouthfuls of vital essence upon it, and swiftly inscribed nine seals onto the root.

With an incantation, a strange fluctuation of magical power tore through the void. Daoist Bai Ya, who had just risen, instantly vanished from Tartasith’s sight, leaving only a tree root behind. Tartasith was dumbfounded. He stared blankly at the root, eventually sighing that Daoist Bai Ya was indeed immensely powerful, beyond the comprehension of ordinary mortals.

Daoist Bai Ya felt only darkness before his eyes, followed by a massive force pulling him forward, drifting lightly for a step until he found himself instantly in an unfamiliar location.

Before Daoist Bai Ya could take in his surroundings, Gu Yechen had already seized his neck. Grand Yin Fiery Radiance erupted, turning his body into a scattering of ice crystals. Gu Yechen’s five claws snatched the cultivator's contorted soul from the midst of the ice shards. The Soul Stripping Great Law immediately controlled his spirit, and Gu Yechen began reading everything he knew.

Agujin had already collapsed onto the ground in fright. He rolled his eyes, trying to faint, but his nerves, hardened by long experience, were tenacious; he wanted to pass out, but simply couldn't.

Gu Yechen frowned as he sifted through all of Daoist Bai Ya’s memories. The man’s life was remarkably simple. He was an orphaned war casualty from a small country neighboring the Polaris Empire. Daoist Mu discovered he possessed an excellent wood-earth spiritual meridian and took him in as a disciple. After centuries of ascetic practice, he stumbled into the Peak of Spirit Transformation realm in a haze. This was his first time leaving Daoist Mu to operate independently.

In his memories, Gu Yechen discovered that Daoist Mu secretly took in tens of thousands of disciples. All these disciples were gathered in the deep mountain forests of three dispersed administrative stars within the Polaris Empire. Since Daoist Bai Ya was considered Daoist Mu’s most deeply cultivated, most emotionally connected, and most loyal disciple, he knew the vast majority of secrets concerning Daoist Mu. However, these were only the secrets of the so-called "Kunlun True Sect" established by Daoist Mu. As for what Daoist Mu actually did, or his entanglements with the Polaris Empire, Bai Ya knew absolutely nothing.

Yet, by observing the part, Gu Yechen learned from Daoist Bai Ya that Daoist Mu possessed extremely strong hidden influence in the Polaris Empire, seemingly influential everywhere. That title, leader of the third Ability Group, the Broken Hook Ability Group, appeared to be merely one of Daoist Mu’s many identities.

As for Jin, Gu Yechen was surprised to find that she had never appeared before Daoist Bai Ya or his peers. It was only when Daoist Mu brought Daoist Bai Ya and others out on this mission that Daoist Bai Ya learned Daoist Mu actually had a daughter. Jin seemed to have grown up within the Broken Hook Ability Group since childhood, never having any connection to any of Daoist Mu’s other identities.

“Another muddlehead,” Gu Yechen sneered, his finger tapping lightly, refining Daoist Bai Ya’s spirit, along with all his vital energy and spirit, into a blood bead the size of a fist.

A blood bead condensing the entire essence, spirit, and vitality of a master at the Peak of Spirit Transformation—if consumed by the zombie disciples of the Nine Nethers Dao, it could instantly foster the birth of a Peak Spirit Transformation expert.

Stuffing the blood bead into his Azure Lotus Ring, Gu Yechen glared at the trembling Agujin and sternly warned, “You have witnessed my methods? You should understand what to do in three days! If you dare to defy me in the slightest, this is the fate of your entire family. Not a chicken or dog left, not an inch of grass remaining. If your family desires annihilation, then simply disobey.”

Flicking his sleeve, Gu Yechen transformed into a white streak of water and ascended humbly into the sky.

Agujin whimpered on the ground for a while, finally rubbing his eyes and making a decision. Although his family had served the Sith royalty loyally for generations, this time, for the preservation of his clan, he could ignore tradition. He recognized Daoist Bai Ya; this was a monster more terrifying than the legendary Seven-Star Grand Venerable. Such a powerful expert was slain so easily by Gu Yechen, and he didn't believe Tartasith could survive Gu Yechen’s grasp.

With a deep sigh, Agujin summoned his son and issued an unbelievable command: to secretly provide the nearly deposed Third Prince Hailis with treatment befitting his status. To reinforce the effectiveness of this order, Agujin specifically reminded his son that the treatment befitting Hailis’s status should be comparable to that afforded to the Emperor of the Sith Empire.

Hailis had just finished his conquest upon the personal maid when a contingent of guards clad in magnificent robes entered his residence. Agujin’s eldest son, who was currently the Deputy Grand Steward of the Sith Imperial Court, respectfully invited Hailis to relocate to a lavish estate. A flood of luxuries, enjoyed only by the Emperor of the Sith Empire, was presented before Hailis. Hailis immediately understood: Gu Yechen had made his initial demonstration of power.

Following this, the patriarchs of one powerful family after another in the Sith Empire secretly arrived before Hailis, offering him their boundless loyalty and reverence. Since the entire high echelon of the Sith Empire had been netted, this news was kept from outsiders.

Three days later, Gu Yechen, wearing a Sith Imperial Prince’s magnificent robe transformed from his Grand Yin Robe, holding the Scepter of Authority transformed from the Five Water Dragon Beard Fan, and with his sword case strapped to his back, walked into the Sith Imperial Palace following Hailis.

All the noble ministers and officials of the Sith Empire encountered along the way bowed deeply to Hailis and Gu Yechen, as if greeting the Emperor of Sith himself. Gu Yechen walked half a step behind Hailis. Hailis, radiant and smiling, spoke quietly with Gu Yechen. The deadly Spirit Restraining Talisman hung from his belt on a silk cord, swaying gently with his steps.

The eyes of the princes and ministers blazed with envy as they looked at the talisman, wishing they could snatch that treasure for themselves. But Gu Yechen swept his icy gaze around, and immediately these nobles lowered their heads submissively, bowing deeply to the two of them.

As Hailis strode into the Grand Audience Hall designated for the Empire of Hiss, every royal relative, save for Emperor Tartarus himself, was already present. When they finally acknowledged Hailis, almost all of them merely flicked a scornful glance his way before turning their heads dismissively, with the sole exception of Karina Zelperos, the Left Noble Consort, seated beside Tartarus. Karina watched the fiercely energized, almost maniacal Hailis with a furrowed brow of deep concern.

Hailis walked with measured, unwavering steps to the dais where Tartarus sat enthroned, performing a respectful bow toward him while loudly proclaiming, "Father Emperor."

Tartarus waved a languid hand at Hailis, a gesture that conveyed minimal acknowledgment, then turned with a smile to engage in brief, light conversation with Ulys, who sat at his side.

Ulys offered a polite assent to Tartarus's remarks, then nodded toward Hailis with a smile. "Third Brother, you have arrived?"

Hailis smiled, his hands clasped behind his back as he looked up at Tartarus. "Yes, I have arrived!"

Tartarus shot Hailis an irritated glare and roared, "Since you are here, why are you dawdling? Today is the momentous day when the four nations convene to discuss the intervention army. Don't stand here blocking the view! Get out of the way!" Tartarus gestured sharply, bellowing an order at the Imperial Guards standing nearby.

The Imperial Guards simultaneously looked toward the Grand Steward and Deputy Grand Steward standing beside Tartarus.

Both chief stewards narrowed their eyes, smiling faintly at Tartarus, yet neither uttered a sound.

Several fiercely loyal guards surged forward from the ranks, intending to seize Hailis. They had barely taken a few steps when their comrades behind them suddenly drew their high-frequency oscillating light sabers, slicing the advancing men neatly in half at the waist. The acrid scent of scorched flesh instantly permeated the Grand Audience Hall. Not a single noble or minister in attendance made a sound, but Tartarus and the rest of the Imperial Hiss royalty all rose to their feet in shock.

Tartarus’s voice had completely changed. Watching the guards writhe on the floor, he bellowed harshly, "What are you doing?"

Gu Xichen delivered a vicious kick to Hailis, sending him stumbling two steps forward.

Hailis drew a deep breath, then thrust out his chest resolutely. "Father Emperor, I must ask you to abdicate!"

The Hiss imperial family was utterly stunned, staring at Hailis in disbelief, unsure if he had lost his mind or his senses.

What shocked them further was yet to come. Nearly a thousand ministers, who commanded every facet of power within the Hiss Empire, simultaneously knelt before Tartarus. All ministers cried out in unison, "Your Majesty, please abdicate and transfer the throne to the Third Prince! Please abdicate and transfer the throne to the Third Prince! Please abdicate and transfer the throne to the Third Prince!"

The earth-shattering roar caused Tartarus to tremble uncontrollably. He looked in panic at the officials who had been loyal just days before, utterly bewildered. Among these ministers were the Imperial Prime Minister, who had served him his entire life; the Chief Elder of the Imperial Elder Council, a veteran of three reigns; several Marshals and Generals who controlled the vast majority of the Empire's military might; and the heads of the military intelligence and surveillance agencies that governed the Empire's dark forces. Even the most trusted eunuchs who guarded the palace had betrayed him. These eunuchs knelt on the ground alongside the ministers, all demanding Tartarus's abdication.

Tartarus roared several times, a mixture of panic and rage. He leaped down from the throne and savagely kicked out at the First Imperial Marshal kneeling before him.

The First Imperial Marshal, who would never have dared defy his command previously, smoothly drew back, effortlessly evading Tartarus's heavy kick.

Tartarus, blinded by fury, lost his balance and nearly fell. He shouted in outrage, "Are you all mounting a rebellion? You—you..."

In his desperation, Tartarus pulled out a small personal terminal and hurriedly attempted to contact the commanders of the major Guard Legions protecting the Hiss capital. Several faint light screens projected from his terminal, showing the most loyal Guard Legion commanders. However, they regarded Tartarus with the cold, blank gaze reserved for strangers.

Gu Xichen watched the commanders on the screens and let out a few soft chuckles. To secure these commanders, whose families were being held hostage, he had labored long and hard. He had finally managed to capture the heads of the Hiss Empire’s espionage, military intelligence, and secret guard systems. After gaining control over them, he forced them to release the families of these commanders, placed them all under the restraints of the God-Restraining Primordial Talisman, and only then did he secure the complete allegiance of these Guard Legion commanders to Hailis.

Tartarus raged at the commanders on the screens. "Deploy all Guard Legions! Suppress the rebellion!"

The commanders looked at Tartarus with utter indifference, their voices low, stiff, and devoid of inflection. They stated coldly, "The one to whom we pledge allegiance is His Majesty Hailis!"

All the princes and ministers of the Hiss Empire present echoed the cry in unison: "The one to whom we pledge allegiance is His Majesty Hailis!"

Someone among the ministers must have brought a personal terminal linked to a large-scale communicator into the Grand Audience Hall, for hundreds of massive screens descended. The regional governors who controlled the Empire’s local power bases appeared across them, all shouting simultaneously, "Long live His Majesty Hailis! Please accept our loyalty!"

Some of these regional ministers had been placed under Gu Xichen's restriction; others had close relationships with those restricted by Gu Xichen; still others were allied forces Hailis had cultivated over time. Furthermore, a portion held connections through Hailis’s maternal lineage. In short, every minister in the Hiss Empire had switched allegiance to Hailis; all power in the Hiss Empire now rested firmly in Hailis’s hands.

Within the Grand Audience Hall, the envoys from the other three five-star civilizations were initially aghast, fearing that Hiss’s internal turmoil would derail their plans for the intervention army. Following that shock came a flicker of delight—if Hiss was unstable, they might seize an opportunity for profit. Finally, they resigned themselves, forcing strained smiles onto their faces and casting appeasing glances toward Hailis. Since Hailis was confirmed as the new Emperor of the Hiss Empire, these envoys had to consider how to proceed with their original mission.

What terrified these envoys, and nearly caused Tartarus to faint, was what Hailis did next. Hailis glanced coldly at the envoys of the three nations, waved a hand mockingly, and sneered, "Kill them! The charge is disrespect toward this Emperor. Kill them and send their heads back to their respective emperors."

The three envoys gasped in terror and instantly summoned the powerful guardians they had brought with them.

Simultaneously with the envoys’ outcry, Gu Xichen moved. He whipped out both large sleeves, which shot forward like two immense cliffs crashing down, pulverizing nearly a hundred powerful guardians into dust.

Hailis personally snatched up a high-energy light saber and charged toward the dumbfounded envoys. With a swift motion, he decapitated them and personally threw their severed heads at Tartarus’s feet.

Tartarus's face went pale with rage. He violently raised his right hand, unleashing a power technique aimed directly at Hailis’s head.

Gu Xichen snorted coldly. His immense divine sense condensed into a steel blade that stabbed viciously into the center of Tartarus’s brow, shattering his primordial energy core and instantly neutralizing all his superhuman abilities. Hailis sneered down at the bleeding Tartarus, who was convulsing with blood pouring from his orifices, and delivered a savage kick to his lower abdomen, sending him sprawling onto the floor.

Ulys let out a piercing shriek and launched a sky-blue flying sword toward Gu Xichen.

Gu Xichen exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "What a fine weapon. At least a Mid-Grade Immortal Artifact! Truly an extravagant gesture!"

A Mid-Grade Immortal Artifact—something even the last direct disciple of the Kunlun Sect Master, Daoist Zhengyi, did not possess—was wielded by Ulys.

Gu Xichen simply flicked his sleeve, forcefully drawing the immortal artifact into his possession. Ulys froze, then suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. Gu Xichen advanced in one step, placed a finger upon Ulys's Dantian, destroying the foundation of his cultivation. Ulys would forever remain an ordinary person, unless an Immortal of the Celestial Immortal level expended vast amounts of rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures to reforge his foundation, which was remotely possible.

Hailis cast a look of false sorrow toward the vomiting Tartarus and Ulys, shook his head, and turned to address the assembled royalty and ministers with solemnity. "My father Emperor’s tyranny has brought ruin to the Hiss Empire; the people live in deep misery. But regardless, he remains my father Emperor. Therefore..."

With a deep sigh, Hailis announced a decree concerning Tartarus and all the imperial relatives—

Hailis's command was instantly carried out. Tartarus, Ulys, and Hailis's other brothers and their immediate kin were all dragged from the Grand Audience Hall and exiled to a penal planet.

Hailis ascended to the throne of the Hiss Empire. His mother was proclaimed Empress Dowager, and his maternal clan enjoyed immense elevation, swiftly grasping control of national affairs.

Subsequently, as per Hailis's directive, the heads of the three envoys were delivered to their respective emperors. The Hiss Empire issued a stern declaration: they would absolutely not tolerate the crude interference of these three five-star civilizations in the internal affairs of the Spiral Star Domain, nor would they allow their brutal meddling in the internal politics of the Yafik Empire!

Three days later, Queen Fuyaming of the Yafik Empire led a fleet composed of ten Tier One warships and one hundred Tier Two warships on a friendly goodwill visit to the Hiss Empire, engaging in cordial state talks with His Majesty Hailis. The two nations formally signed a pact of friendly diplomatic relations, becoming unshakeable allies.

At the invitation of His Majesty Hailis of the Hiss Empire, the Yafik Empire dispatched a special task force to be stationed within the Hiss Empire to assist in resisting the interference attempts by certain ambitious civilizations.

No one knew the exact size of the fleet the Yafik Empire had sent, but judging by the Yafik Empire’s national strength, the contingent was quite limited, and its combat power was negligible.

Only Gu Xichen and Fuyaming knew the true might of this fleet—it was a task force capable of casually annihilating several five-star civilizations.

This fleet also gathered all of Gu Xichen’s elite forces.

The Four Demon Generals, the Five Xin Jia Brothers, the Four Generals of Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning, Clairvoyant and Clairaudient, as well as Penghua, Ducate, Lily, Daoist Xiao Zhang, and Daoist Zhengyi—all had arrived in the Hiss Empire.

The fleet was prepared for any potential enemy naval forces.

And these powerful cultivators were positioned in readiness for the tens of thousands of disciples under Daoist Mu. To learn what happens next, please log on to Chapter [One Bark Mountain Eight] for more, support the author, and support legitimate reading!