On a desolate, abandoned resource planet less than a hundred thousand kilometers from the Hiss Empire’s border fortress, ‘Holy Roar One,’ Gu Wuchen sat cross-legged within a mining tunnel.

Seventeen Loose Immortals, their cultivation entirely shackled, lay lined up on the ground. Gu Wuchen surveyed the elders of the Xianzhi family with the gaze of a butcher assessing pigs for slaughter.

After a long silence, Gu Xichen shook his head, murmuring, “What comes next is truly too cruel. But there is no other way; you Xianzhi clan refused my goodwill.”

With a faint sigh, Gu Xichen spat a weak Solar Blazing Flame, no more than a foot high, from his left hand, and a Moon Blazing Flame several meters tall from his right. The two flames, one black and one white, coiled towards the Loose Immortals, whose faces were stiff and eyes filled with despair. A chorus of miserable shrieks ensued as the Loose Immortals were first turned into ice crystals by the Lunar Blazing Flame, and then, with a sweep and a burn from the Solar Blazing Flame, transformed into seventeen streams of pale golden aura swirling within the mine.

Having cultivated for millennia to achieve the status of a Loose Immortal, their entire careers were now reduced to smoke. Gu Wuchen used the essence of the Taiyin and Taiyang auras to extract the complete Jing Qi Shen (essence, energy, and spirit) from these Loose Immortals, fusing it with a wisp of their already condensed and formed Immortal Spiritual Qi. This process generated the seventeen streams of Primal Spiritual Qi, each emanating a (piercing/overwhelming) spiritual aura.

Gazing with satisfaction at these hundred-zhang long, barrel-thick, agile and spirited Primal Spiritual Auras, resembling celestial dragons, Gu Wuchen opened his mouth and inhaled them all in one gulp.

A massive surge of spiritual energy erupted within his body, instantly transforming into countless golden threads that shot straight toward Gu Wuchen’s Sea of Consciousness. Gu Xichen’s Innate Primal Spirit slowly opened its eyes, gradually absorbing these golden threads. The Innate Primal Spirit, originally thumb-sized, began to grow, slowly reaching the size of a child’s fist. Its body was now wreathed in vast sheets of white flames and fine, intricate strands of black flame, appearing utterly divine and extraordinary. The Jing Qi Shen accumulated by these Loose Immortals over millennia of hard cultivation was immensely vast and pure; the Primal Spiritual Qi they became was not something Gu Xichen could absorb hastily.

In the blink of an eye, Gu Wuchen’s Innate Primal Spirit expanded to its current limit. Any further inflation would cause him to lose control over his soaring power.

His consciousness immersed in the Taiji Vortex, Gu Xichen rapidly tapped his hands, merging the excess spiritual energy he could not absorb into the black fish eye of the Taiji Vortex, transforming it into Solar Blazing Flame. The two fish eyes on the Taiji Vortex simultaneously spewed forth rich Taiyin and Taiyang auras. The Yin and Yang energies circulated rapidly around the vortex, gradually generating and evolving. Suddenly, Gu Qichen’s Innate Primal Spirit spat out countless wisps of free-floating purple mist.

Thousands of golden stars simultaneously shone in the surroundings. One golden star shot toward a wisp of purple mist, and in an instant, over ten thousand golden stars merged completely with the purple mist.

A brilliant light flashed from the Azure Lotus Ring on Gu Xichen’s finger, and mountains of Zakla Crystals poured out rapidly. Over a hundred thousand golden stars rushed out from between his brows, swiftly pouncing upon the Zakla Crystals. A golden whirlwind mixed with auspicious purple qi rose from the ground. The luster flashing on the surfaces of hundreds of thousands of Zakla Crystals quickly faded. In less than fifteen minutes, these crystals had all turned to powder, swept up by the powerful wind thousands of zhang high, scattering profusely in all directions.

Over a hundred thousand burly men, clad in battle skirts, emerged from the whirlwind, kneeling in perfect unison before Gu Xichen: “We pay our respects to the Honored Superior!”

Gu Xichen took a deep breath, wiping the cold sweat from his brow. He waved his hand somewhat weakly, “Enough, all of you rise!”

Mo Liqing emerged from behind Gu Xichen and roared at the burly men, “Enough chatter! Follow this General quickly!” (Little Book House Mobile Reading.)

The burly men were momentarily bewildered, then followed Mo Liqing with ecstatic joy. The ten thousand and eighty Heaven Soldiers and Generals of the Southern Heavenly Gate’s Zhen Character Army, along with the one hundred and eight Yellow Turban Warriors leading them, were finally assembled today. Coupled with the Xin Jia brothers and the five hundred Heaven Soldiers they led, they could set up a complete Heavenly Net Grand Array.

On a flat piece of ground outside the mine, Kan Hua was continuously tossing out various immortal artifacts—sabers, spears, swords, and halberds—as well as war chariots, battleships, and other immortal war implements from his storage magic treasures. Mo Liqing led his tens of thousands of subordinates to the flat ground and began selecting weapons and armor that suited his habits. These Heaven Soldiers and Generals were the old subordinates of the Four Heavenly Kings Mo, and they were well-trained elites of the Heavenly Court. Everything proceeded in an orderly manner. Soon, the one hundred and eight Yellow Turban Warriors, including Xin Jia, and the ten thousand and eight hundred Heaven Soldiers and Generals took their positions according to the array layout. The Four Heavenly Kings Mo stood before the great array, clapped their hands forcefully, and roared, “Deploy the array! Commence!”

Xin Jia and the other one hundred and eight Yellow Turban Warriors simultaneously projected boundless divine chains. These chains, shining with purple-gold radiance, interlaced in the air to form a massive net, covering an area nearly a thousand li wide. The over one hundred thousand Heaven Soldiers and Generals shouted in unison, occupying their positions within the array diagram with practiced ease, slowly manifesting the various evolutions of the Heavenly Net Grand Array.

Xin Jia and the others, veterans who had followed Gu Xichen for some years, had now restored their strength to the peak of the Soul Transformation stage, close to the Void realm. These newly reformed Heaven Soldiers and Generals generally possessed only cultivation levels close to the Golden Core stage. Yet, the aura exuded by this array, composed of over one hundred thousand relatively weak Heaven Soldiers and Generals, caused Gu Wuchen, seated in the mine, to feel a fatal threat.

Gu Xichen chuckled a few times, unable to help but imagine the terrifying might this array would possess once these Heaven Soldiers and Generals recovered their full cultivation. Even the weakest Heaven Soldier was at least a Celestial Immortal; an array formed by over one hundred thousand Celestial Immortals should be capable of threatening a Golden Immortal, perhaps?

After pondering for a while, Gu Xichen shook his head, directing all his attention to utilizing the seventeen streams of Primal Spiritual Qi to enhance his cultivation and stabilize his current realm. The Innate Primal Spirit gradually absorbed the Primal Spiritual Qi, continuously strengthening itself. Gu Xichen felt the range his divine sense could cover expand from tens of thousands of li to hundreds of thousands of li. The objects within the scope of his divine sense also grew progressively clearer, shifting from being able to detect only large meteorites to clearly discerning every minuscule speck of stardust within.

When Gu Wuchen’s divine sense reached the capability of instantly covering a radius of three hundred thousand li, and he could clearly perceive every subtle movement within its scope, the realm of Celestial Immortal First Grade, the Grand Sovereign Emperor Heaven, was finally stabilized. The Taiyin Profound Gang flowing within his body circulated with increased smoothness and agility, and faint golden light began to emerge from his skin in myriad streams.

After the Celestial Immortal realm stabilized, a large amount of Immortal Spiritual Qi surged from the void and poured into Gu Wuchen’s body. For other cultivators, this would be the best time to raise their cultivation or transform their internal true energy. But for Gu Wuchen, this Immortal Spiritual Qi had little effect, merely making his Taiyin Profound Gang slightly stronger. The grade of Taiyin Qi far surpassed the Celestial Immortal-grade Immortal Spiritual Qi; this latter energy only served as trivial snacks for the nourishment of the Taiyin Profound Gang.

Briefly observing Mo Liqing and the others practicing the array, Gu Wuchen focused entirely on the Taiyin True Scripture.

The vast Taiyin Profound Gang flowed through Gu Wuchen’s body like a massive river. Dozens of powerful streams of Taiyin Qi, like white dragons, writhed on his skin, emitting a cold so intense that the surrounding cavern walls became coated in thick profound ice. Possessing all the cultivation memories of the Taiyin True Monarch, Gu Wuchen needed no strenuous thought; he merely had to follow the path the Taiyin True Monarch had trod. This was a golden highway leading directly to the Grandmist Great Dao, requiring only the accumulation of long stretches of time.

As Gu Wuchen’s cultivation progressed favorably, a golden shackle gradually materialized on his body. The white Taiyin Qi slowly eroded this shackle, and wave after wave of Primordial Aura began to emanate from it. It was the resonance of the Primordial Era—an aura that viewed all beings as straw dogs, utterly transcendent, devoid of any compassion or mercy.

Gu Xichen gradually grasped the aura contained within this shackle, as billions of illusions flashed and vanished before his eyes.

In the ancient Primordial Era, the innate beings nurtured by Heaven and Earth possessed no such shackles. Those innate beings were born with divine abilities; after a short period of cultivation, they could pluck stars and moons, piercing the sky with vast holes. Those beings were inherently proud and self-important, believing themselves to be the spiritual pinnacle of all creation, arrogant and unconquerable.

Subsequently, great tribulations descended upon Heaven and Earth, and the innate beings fought fiercely, plunging the cosmos into chaos. The three origin stars of Heaven, Earth, and Man shattered. Especially the origin star of Man, which later evolved into Earth, was battered into pieces, its spiritual energy dissipating entirely. If not for the Human Race Ancestor, the innate Great Sage Goddess Nüwa, who hatched from the origin star of Man, cleverly mended the world, humanity would have perished, and there would have been no subsequent lineage of humankind.

Afterward, the Heavenly Court established its dominion, and Heaven and Earth became separated.

Under the protection of Empress Nüwa, humanity arose again on the origin star of Man. However, the people of this era had lost their innate spiritual source, transitioning from Innate to Postnatal—the beginning of Postnatal Humanity. Yet, the human bloodline was incredibly powerful; though postnatal beings, they retained memories of their innate ancestors. Although born without divine abilities, during cultivation, they progressed relentlessly, easily reaching the Celestial Immortal realm, and soon achieving the cultivation of Golden Immortal, Taiyi, or Daluo.

Later, another great calamity arrived, and the protagonists of this tribulation became the Postnatal Beings. After a massive slaughter that caused vast changes across land and sea, the Postnatal Beings suffered heavy casualties, and the immortals who ascended from the Postnatal realm were severely depleted. Consequently, the Heavenly Dao trembled and finally imposed the Grandmist Shackle.

The first shackle corresponded to the Void Realm, Destruction Tribulation, and Immortal Ascension; without breaking through these three barriers, one remained a mortal for life.

The second shackle was divided according to the thirty-three heavens of the Heavenly Court, establishing thirty-three layers of shackles. Each layer represented the power of a single rule of Heaven and Earth. If one could comprehend that rule, one could smoothly ascend to the next heaven and cultivate stronger divine abilities. Breaking all thirty-three shackles offered the hope of glimpsing the ultimate Grandmist Realm.

The third shackle consisted of only one layer: the boundary between Innate and Postnatal. Breaking this shackle allowed one to roam freely in the Grandmist Realm; failing to break it meant that even with the status of a Daluo Golden Immortal, one remained a mere piece in others’ games, forever unable to achieve true transcendence and freedom. Breaking it meant being revered throughout the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths; failing to break it meant bowing as a subordinate under the Heavenly Court. Cruel though it was, this adhered perfectly to the concept of the Dao being formless and merciless.

With the establishment of the Grandmist Shackles, although the difficulty of attaining the Dao increased significantly for the Human Race, it also tempered their Dao Hearts, making them firm and resilient. The immortals who attained the Dao and ascended in later ages lacked the formerly flighty and impetuous nature. While disputes and wars were still inevitable, the catastrophic calamities that once shattered Heaven and Earth never recurred.

Gu Xichen had already entered the realm of the Grand Sovereign Emperor Heaven, and the shackle he was about to break was the one leading directly to the second heaven, the Great Bright Jade Completion Heaven. According to the Taiyin True Monarch’s memories, this shackle contained the rule of ‘Water Cloud Power.’ Breaking this shackle would allow him to comprehend the divine ability of cloud-riding, achieving the freedom described as soaring ninety thousand li, roaming freely across the Four Seas—this was the power of the Water Cloud divine ability. If he could not break the shackle, even with superior cloud-driving techniques, the speed of his cloud movement could never increase.

Other cultivators believed that only by reaching a certain realm of Celestial Immortal could one freely ride the clouds, unaware that an invisible shackle secretly bound them here.

Only someone cultivating a Grandmist-level scripture, like Gu Wuchen, could clearly perceive this shackle and break it by following its path.

Under the frantic burning of the Taiyin Blazing Flame, although the shackle remained motionless, countless water clouds subtly rose around Gu Wuchen, lifting his body several zhang high. He felt light and weightless all over, as if his body had merged with the water clouds. Even the Mirror Flower Water Moon Taiyin Escape Technique seemed to have become more agile.

Time passed. Two months later, just as Gu Wuchen was entirely enveloped by white water clouds, his internal Taiyin True Qi surging and multiplying several times over, and he was beginning to condense the Taiyin Blazing Flame, Kan Hua hurried in. News had arrived from the Holy Roar One fortress: a warship of unknown nationality was speeding toward Hiss Empire territory, completely ignoring the inquiry signals sent by the fortress. Even when the fortress locked onto them with fire-control radar, there was still no reply.

The water clouds within the mine suddenly parted. Gu Wuchen, whose edges seemed to have already melted into the air, slowly opened his eyes and nodded to Kan Hua. A point of white light and a point of black light spun rapidly in his crimson eyes. His gaze was empty and unfocused, causing Kan Hua an uncomfortable sensation.

A ball of red light slowly emerged from Kan Hua’s body. Han Ba stretched her back with a look of regret and walked out. Halfway through her stretch, Han Ba froze in astonishment, staring at Gu Xichen. After a long moment, Han Ba gasped, “You… Celestial Immortal? How long have I been in seclusion? At least eight hundred years!”

“Why are you a Celestial Immortal? How long have I been in seclusion?”

Gu Wuchen brought the Qilin Seal out and weighed it in his palm. Han Ba reacted as if she had seen a ghost, stumbling back several steps, cautiously hiding behind Kan Hua. Han Ba felt both envy and jealousy. How had Gu Wuchen become a Celestial Immortal? She had integrated so much innate holy blood, painstakingly drawing upon its power to recover to a level infinitely close to the Celestial Immortal threshold, but there was still a barrier. She needed at least ten times her current strength to truly cross into the Celestial Immortal realm!

“This brat is ten times stronger than this old granny?” Han Ba felt her vision darken. How could this be? How had Gu Wuchen become so formidable?

In space, a completely black warship, built in a very traditional and orthodox style—resembling over ninety percent of the standard warships in the Star Dream setting, shaped like a smooth cigar—was barreling directly toward the Hiss Empire’s interior, ignoring the warning fire from the Holy Roar One fortress. It broke through over a dozen intercepting Hiss Empire warships. The fortress’s nearly hundred-meter caliber anti-air high-energy cannons struck the vessel, yet failed to penetrate even its energy shield.

After a brief pause, the Holy Roar One fortress, converted from an abandoned mineral planet, unleashed its full firepower, bombarding the single ship that had charged into their territory.

The dozen or so Hiss Empire warships whose defense lines had been breached angrily launched all their missiles and torpedoes, all aimed at the small warship less than two thousand meters long.

The shocking event occurred: the inconspicuous warship flickered and vanished from its spot, reappearing in the void three hundred kilometers away. The fortress fire completely missed, pulverizing only the afterimage the vessel had left in the void. As for the missiles and torpedoes that had lost their target, they activated their self-destruct sequence in confusion, exploding into a massive ball of fire in space.

Short-range instantaneous movement! The cannon fire erupting from the fortress suddenly halted. The Hiss warships nearly collided, saved only by their automatic evasion systems preventing public disgrace.

The warship that breached the Hiss Empire border seemed to have consumed a significant amount of energy. It paused for about ten seconds in that patch of void before continuing its rapid flight forward.

Standing on a discarded block of metallic ore, Gu Wuchen pointed at the warship and commanded sharply, “Xin Jia, haul it over here!”

Xin Jia’s brow shot up, and the muscles on his body bulged and rolled like churning water. He roared and swept his hands forward. A boundless divine chain ripped through the void, instantly transforming into a beam of cold light tens of thousands of li long, wrapping around the warship dozens of times. Xin Jia gripped the divine chain tightly and yanked backward viciously. The bow of the warship was forcibly pulled to deviate toward the mineral planet. As the ship’s main engines restarted, it surged toward them like a wild horse breaking free of its reins.

Gu Xichen clapped his hands and burst into unrestrained laughter.

Xin Yi and the other one hundred and seven Yellow Turban Warriors saw the excitement and eagerly flew out their own boundless divine chains. One hundred and eight chains bound the warship as tightly as a cocoon. Xin Jia and the others began chanting in unison, pulling the chains together, dragging the warship spinning like a windmill toward them.

The warship seemed to realize something was wrong. It rapidly shut down its main engines and activated its auxiliary thrusters. Dozens of long plasma flames erupted, trying to stabilize the vessel.

Gu Xichen spread his hands, rapidly forming a hand seal, condensing three-tenths of his Taiyin Profound Gang into his palms. He recited an incantation silently, and a white, massive thunderball suddenly coalesced in his palm. Countless electric snakes appeared out of thin air, converging into the thunderball. Gradually, the volume of this thunderball increased, expanding until it reached a diameter of several dozen zhang.

With a long laugh, Gu Xichen flicked the thunderball toward the warship.

A muffled thunderclap sounded on the flat ground. A beam of lightning several li thick instantly tore through the void and struck the warship. The vessel’s energy shield merely flickered slightly before shattering into pieces. The hull of the warship almost simultaneously turned into a wisp of green smoke. As the blinding light flashed, the afterimage of the warship remained in everyone’s vision, but the vessel itself had been evaporated.

Several hundred beams of bright light shot out just before the lightning struck the warship. These sword lights were swift; several hundred cultivators clad in apricot-yellow Bagua robes flew through the air on their swords toward the mineral planet.

Leading these cultivators was a bald, burly man over five meters tall, completely encased in semi-silicon gill armor. The man’s head resembled a Qilin, and his scales bore some resemblance to dragon scales. He exuded the unique aura of a primordial giant beast. The sword light he rode was a hundred zhang long and over ten zhang wide. The sword light was magnificent and immense, emitting a dull sound of thunder during flight, its presence truly frightening.

Gu Zenchen glanced at Daoist Zhengyi, who had emerged from another mine, saying, “It seems the sword control technique is indeed the orthodox Kunlun tradition!”

Little Daoist Zhang, standing nearby, grinned maliciously, and the disciples of the Nine Nether Sect, Kunlun Mountain, and Zhongnan Mountain present had eyes shining brightly. The sword control methods of these several hundred cultivators rushing toward them were indeed the authentic sword techniques of the Kunlun lineage.

Furthermore, where their techniques were grand and imposing, they even surpassed the sword techniques mastered by Daoist Zhengyi. Clearly, these cultivators had inherited the orthodox, direct lineage of ancient Kunlun, whereas Daoist Zhengyi and the other Kunlun disciples possessed only incomplete texts, battered by time.

Daoist Zhengyi’s expression turned extremely grim. He glared furiously at the foremost man, who was clearly not human, nor even a purely carbon-based lifeform, clenching his fists tightly. It was widely known that the Kunlun Dao Sect placed the highest importance on lineage and origin. Among the disciples under the Primordial Heavenly Venerable, there were very few whose origins were non-human.

And among the cultivators flying toward them now, pure humans were few. The rest were various highly intelligent lifeforms whose physiques were generally similar to humans, but whose appearances were vastly varied and bizarre. Some had horse heads, some had two tiger paws, some were still apes that hadn't shed all their hair, and some were simply quadrupeds. But regardless of their outward appearance, the sword control techniques of these cultivators were the true orthodox Kunlun sword precepts, and the energy flowing within them was the pure, unadulterated Yuqing True Qi.

A surge of energy erupted from the figure of the Daoist of the Orthodox Path, his long hair whipping wildly, the topknot holding his hair dissolving in the turbulent air. With a resounding clang, the Daoist unleashed two sword projections, serpentine in form, one purple and one gold, expanding into two colossal, hundred-zhang-long ribbons of light that shot toward the brute with the Qilin head. While his flying swords struck, the Daoist of the Orthodox Path roared, "You fiend, dare you test your swordsmanship against this Daoist priest?" Following his cry, he ascended into the air, waving his hands forward like the wind, unleashing hundreds of Palm Thunder strikes that blanketed the area in an overwhelming torrent.

The brute, crowned with the head of a Qilin, glanced at the Daoist with surprise. He bellowed a command to the cultivators behind him, then mounted his sword light and charged straight toward the Daoist of the Orthodox Path.

With a powerful flex of his arms, the brute unleashed two crimson sword projections, trailing immense flames, which lunged at the Daoist’s two sword lights. The four streams collided with incessant, deafening crashes, sparks scattering everywhere. Both the Daoist of the Orthodox Path and the brute recoiled several steps; clearly, their flying swords had sustained damage, and their vital energy had been shaken.

Rumble, rumble, rumble—the Palm Thunders, unleashed with the full might of the Daoist of the Orthodox Path, exploded against the brute’s protective sword light barrier. The brute’s sword light was not nimble, but it was vast, weighty, and possessed astonishing defensive power. The simultaneous detonation of hundreds of lightning streams merely caused his surrounding protective sword energy to flicker violently; it failed to singe a single hair on his head.

The Daoist of the Orthodox Path focused every ounce of his spirit, intently maneuvering his two sword projections to entangle the brute’s sword light.

The brute ceased his counterattack, also forming sword seals, his limbs moving as he locked the sword light of the Daoist of the Orthodox Path in a stalemate.

Both employed the orthodox sword techniques of Kunlun; their sword lights were magnificent, vast, and dazzlingly bright, making for a spectacular contest. However, while the brute’s sword light possessed formidable power, it appeared somewhat clumsy and rigid; conversely, although the Daoist of the Orthodox Path’s cultivation was inferior to the brute’s, he possessed greater fluidity and refinement, lending his sword strikes an added layer of seasoned deadliness.

Suddenly, one of the brute’s crimson sword projections batted the Daoist’s golden light several miles away. The Daoist cried out, and his remaining purple light suddenly fractured into over a dozen streaks of light. Three streaks tenaciously grappled with the brute’s last red light, while the other dozen purple streaks rapidly pierced toward the brute’s body.

With a crisp crack, the brute’s protective sword light shattered, and the purple beams stabbed directly at his torso.

The brute shrieked in terror, waving both hands. Scales suddenly sloughed off his body, transforming into countless streaks of black light that surged toward the Daoist’s sword projections. These black beams clashed fiercely with the purple light in the void, spitting out myriad star-like sparks. In the blink of an eye, the black light coalesced, forming a massive black shield, several zhang in diameter, which firmly shielded the brute’s body.

The brute smirked triumphantly toward the Daoist of the Orthodox Path, hooking a finger, “You can’t touch me now, can you?”

Before the words fully left his lips, the cyan jade hairpin used to bind the Daoist’s hair flew out from his wild locks. It transformed into a foot-long sliver of cyan light, barely visible amidst his hair, and shot like lightning toward the brute’s lower abdomen.

The brute was momentarily stunned. As the black shield shifted, the sliver of cyan light deftly slipped past its interception, piercing the brute’s lower abdomen with the speed of a thunderbolt.

With a crackling sound, a burst of black brilliance erupted from the brute’s abdomen. His waist-binding belt transformed into a slender black dragon that coiled around his entire body, staunchly blocking the hairpin’s thrust. The cyan hairpin struck the brute with the ferocity of a sudden storm, delivering a hundred blows in that instant, yet it could not penetrate the belt’s defense. The black shield then surged forward from behind, trailing oppressive black energy. The Daoist of the Orthodox Path sighed in defeat, recalling both his sword lights and the hairpin.

Sweating profusely, the terrified brute hurriedly retreated several steps, frantically shouting toward a yellow-robed Daoist nearby, “Senior Brother!” Any discerning eye could see that while the brute’s cultivation was indeed superior to the Daoist of the Orthodox Path’s, the Daoist possessed far greater experience and skill. In the preceding skirmish, the brute had been decidedly at a disadvantage. Had it not been for several excellent protective treasures he possessed, his physical body might well have been destroyed by the Daoist of the Orthodox Path.

Gu Xiechen nodded inwardly; this information aligned perfectly with what he had learned from the Daoist of White Bud. Although these disciples of the Daoist of Wood possessed profound cultivation, they had always been kept behind the scenes by their master, rarely venturing out for actual experience. Furthermore, the majority were orphans adopted from various places by the Daoist of Wood, meaning their worldly exposure and experience were severely lacking, naturally putting them at a significant disadvantage in direct combat.

The Daoist addressed as Senior Brother floated several miles forward, hovering high above the mineral planet. He executed a somewhat clumsy ji shou toward Gu Xiechen and his companions, asking with confusion, “Sirs, why do you block our path? We have no intention of quarreling with you, yet you destroyed our warship!”

As he spoke, a measure of ire surfaced in the Daoist’s voice, and he stated angrily, “This warship was the traveling vessel crafted for us by our Master, a gift from him! How dare you destroy it! You must apologize to us and compensate us for all our losses!”

Gu Xiechen slowly drifted forward on a cloud of water-like vapor. He looked down happily at the cloud, noting that its speed was indeed significantly faster than before. He flew until he was less than three miles from the other Daoist, smiling as he executed a ji shou toward him. “Esteemed Daoist friend, this humble Daoist offers his respects!”

The other Daoist hastily returned the gesture, stumbling over the words. “Greetings... greetings... Daoist friend... this humble Daoist Qingya offers his respects!” The Daoist’s movements in performing the ritual were clearly awkward and unfamiliar. But as he straightened up and clearly saw Gu Xiechen’s face, his eyes widened instantly. He pointed a finger at Gu Xiechen and shouted, “It’s the man Master wants dead! All you Junior Brothers, attack together!”

Over seven hundred cultivators stirred with alarm, and a thousand streams of sword light, radiating boundless radiance, descended upon Gu Xiechen.

Kan Hua and Ducate cried out in anxiety. Han Ba, however, languidly stroked her long hair, squinting as she muttered, “Fool. Can sheer numbers bridge the gap between an Immortal and a Daoist?”

Gu Xiechen heard Han Ba’s quiet soliloquy. He smiled, turned back, and winked at Han Ba, which startled her so much that she nearly threw herself into Kan Hua’s embrace.

Taking a deep breath, Gu Xiechen gripped the Five Waters Dragon Beard Fan in his left hand and, with his right, slowly inscribed a Grand Yin Divine Talisman in the empty air. The ashen-white tadpole script characters glowed brilliantly, and in an instant, a sphere of water erupted from the talisman, immediately transforming into a hundred-zhang-diameter spherical water screen of ashen-white, enveloping Gu Xiechen at its core.

The thousand flying swords struck the ‘Primordial Grand Yin True Water Shield,’ conjured from the essence of Grand Yin by Gu Xiechen, almost simultaneously. The surface rippled gently, and the momentum of the swords vanished; all the flying swords embedded themselves in the water curtain like flies trapped in amber. Gu Xiechen shook his head and made a slight beckoning gesture with his finger. A faint, subtle Grand Yin Blazing Radiance adhered to the water curtain and instantly spread rapidly, incinerating all the flying swords into a cloud of ice shards that scattered into the air.

“Surrender. Destroy all your cultivation and shatter your Dao foundation, and you may live!” Gu Xiechen stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the cultivators with cold indifference, sneering, “This is for Wu Jin’s sake, sparing your wretched lives. But continue resisting, and you will all perish!”

As he uttered the final word, ‘perish,’ the water curtain around Gu Xiechen suddenly shattered, countless deep blue ice crystals drifting outward. Standing upon the water cloud, he materialized amidst the ice crystals, appearing at once like a Buddha and a sage. His aura now completely overshadowed the combined might of the seven hundred-plus cultivators led by the Daoist Qingya.

The body of the Daoist Qingya trembled. Possessing the cultivation of a peak Divine Transformation avatar, he let out a furious roar toward the heavens, “Brothers, do you remember how Master saved us from fire and water?”

The over seven hundred cultivators shouted in unison, taking a synchronized step forward, roaring with one voice, “We remember!”

The Daoist Qingya called out again, “Do you remember who we are?” The cultivators stepped forward once more, bellowing, “Under Yuqing, the Orthodox Path of Kunlun!”

The face of the Daoist of the Orthodox Path flushed blue with rage. Trembling, he glared ferociously at the disciples of the Daoist of Wood led by Qingya.

The Daoist Qingya spat from his mouth a hooked blade emitting a strange moon-blue glow. He roared toward the sky, “If that is the case, why not fight to the death?”

The cultivators ripped open their apricot-yellow robes, revealing muscular chests covered in dense fur, various scales, or different types of chitinous plating. The few beasts that had been running on all fours also reared up, screaming toward the heavens. An unsettling will to fight to the death surged among these cultivators, causing even Gu Xiechen to step back slightly, feeling a flicker of unease.

Kan Hua extended his long tongue to lick his snout. The two fleshy wings on his back spread, slowly taking flight amidst a chilling wind laced with the scent of blood and gore. He drew a heavy double-bladed battle-axe, his eyes gleaming with a bloody light as he regarded the seven hundred charging cultivators. Ducate’s eyes also flashed with reflected light. Plasma flames jetted from beneath his feet, and holding Xiao Xiao, who was now housed in a mechanical crab body, in his left arm, he flew to Gu Xiechen’s side, watching the cultivators with cold indifference.

Gu Xiechen sneered and raised his right hand, preparing to unleash his Grand Yin Divine Power to slay all the cultivators, when the Daoist of the Orthodox Path sped forth on a sword light, blocking Gu Xiechen’s path.

“Junior Brother Gu, this is a matter for Kunlun!” The Daoist of the Orthodox Path, wielding a golden longsword, stated proudly, “This Daoist must let those imposters know that not just anyone can claim to be the Orthodox Path of Kunlun!”

Gu Xiechen looked at the Daoist of the Orthodox Path, who returned the gaze with a proud smile, his eyes full of determination.

Streams of sword light rose; nearly a thousand Kunlun disciples present ascended into the high sky, charging toward the disciples of the Daoist of Wood ahead.

Gu Xiechen seized the shoulder of the Daoist of the Orthodox Path and hissed angrily, “You would let your fellow disciples risk their lives? They have nearly a hundred Divine Transformation experts! And how many do you have?”

The Daoist of the Orthodox Path looked at Gu Xiechen with righteous indignation and stated loudly, “Those Divine Transformation imposters must naturally be dealt with by Junior Brother Gu, but as for the rest—the Nascent Soul and Core Formation cultivators...”

Gu Xiechen’s mouth twitched in anger. Seeing the demeanor of the Daoist of the Orthodox Path, he had imagined him to be a man of true integrity, only to find that this fellow, like the Daoist Little Zhang, was a hypocrite cloaked in righteousness! The sheer shamelessness of his words, delivered with such a lofty bearing, was infuriating.

But then again, considering he was friends with the Daoist Little Zhang, what upright person could he possibly be? Just look at Kan Hua!

With a cold snort, Gu Xiechen slapped his sword-casket on his back. A sky-shattering sword essence, a hundred miles long, erupted instantly, transforming into a curtain of light that enveloped the Divine Transformation experts, including the Daoist Qingya. He left only twenty-three initial-stage Divine Transformation experts—comparable in number to the Daoist of the Orthodox Path and his brethren—for them to face.

Over a thousand Kunlun Dao Sect disciples and more than six hundred disciples of the Daoist of Wood instantly closed the distance. When they were less than ten miles apart, both sides simultaneously unleashed sword lights and deployed magical artifacts.

The air filled with dazzling, strange lights. The sword lights from both sides were so dense that they crashed into each other, followed immediately by the collision of the artifacts they had deployed. The flying swords and artifacts used by the disciples of the Daoist of Wood were at least two tiers higher in grade than those used by the Kunlun disciples. These artifacts had integrated varying amounts of Primordial materials, instantly shattering the Kunlun disciples’ flying swords upon impact, turning them into useless scrap metal drifting down.

Fortunately, the Kunlun disciples held the advantage in numbers; their flying swords were numerous. After the initial wave of a hundred enemy swords was destroyed, the remaining Kunlun disciples, under a command from the Daoist of the Orthodox Path, simultaneously self-detonated their flying swords and artifacts. Massive explosions erupted incessantly. The flying swords and artifacts deployed by the disciples of the Daoist of Wood were either blown apart or sent flying, and both sides’ cultivators retreated backward while spitting blood. However, the disciples of the Kunlun Dao Sect clearly suffered lighter injuries; since they had proactively self-destructed their equipment, the resulting shockwave was naturally less severe for them.

The disparity in experience suddenly manifested as they retreated. As the disciples of the Daoist of Wood were knocked back, they fumbled about, frantically trying to stabilize their forms with spells. In contrast, as the Kunlun Dao Sect disciples retreated, they casually retrieved handfuls of talismans from their storage bags or rings! Igniting them with True Fire, they hurled them toward the enemy. Thus, while both sides were falling back, the Kunlun Dao Sect members simultaneously deployed at least thirty thousand talismans, unleashing thirty thousand low- and mid-level spells that struck the enemy almost universally.

Over ten thousand bolts of lightning descended, accompanied by tens of thousands of fireballs, ice spikes, giant boulders, and metal blades—spells of the Five Elements. The disciples of the Daoist of Wood were killed by the hundreds amidst cries of alarm and screams. Only about two hundred disciples possessing independent defensive artifacts managed to escape by luck, but they were also left spitting blood, their vital energy severely depleted, rendering them incapable of fighting for the time being.

The Daoist of the Orthodox Path let out a cheer and led his brethren to charge forward again. This time, the victory for the Kunlun Dao Sect was absolute and without question.

The Daoist Qingya, trapped within the encirclement of the True Polarity Dual Light Sword projection, uttered a furious curse. He fiercely struck his chest, spitting out a stream of vital essence blood that sprayed onto the moon-blue hooked blade.

Instantly, the starlight filling the heavens seemed to converge upon that hook. A silent, crescent-moon-like blue beam, thousands of zhang long, rose into the sky, heading straight for the True Polarity Dual Light Sword energy permeating the surroundings.

Gu Xiechen sensed the profound, chilling stellar energy within this blue light—it was a high-grade Immortal Artifact refined using an ancient Star Refinement secret art! Furthermore, the power of stardust was supremely Yin and cold, perfectly matching the elemental attribute of Kan Hua’s true form. Delighted by this prospect, Gu Xiechen laughed three times, swinging his Waterfall Sleeve to sweep toward the hooked blade.

The essence of Grand Yin erupted with force, freezing a wisp of the Daoist Qingya’s primordial spirit clinging to the hook, shattering that wisp of spirit.

The Daoist Qingya vomited blood and retreated. Gu Xiechen held the blue light in his hands, shaking it lightly to restore its true form. He then unleashed the Grand Yin Blazing Radiance to scorch the hook, completely shattering every restriction embedded within it. Only then did Gu Xiechen hand the hook over to Kan Hua, who was practically drooling with anticipation.

Meanwhile, the Daoist of the Orthodox Path had already led his brethren to slaughter the enemy, gleefully collecting a large haul of magical artifacts and materials.

Gu Xiechen smiled. The True Polarity Dual Light Sword converged inward, slaughtering all the Divine Transformation experts except for the Daoist Qingya, grinding their souls to dust.

Snatching the Daoist Qingya, Gu Xiechen sneered coldly at him. “I’ll spare your life to take back a message to your master.”

“If he wants to kill me, he can come himself!”

With a swift motion, Gu Xiechen tore off the Daoist Qingya’s four limbs, pierced and shattered his Dao foundation with a single finger, and stuffed him into a small, fast transport vessel released by Ducate.

Under the guidance of a separate body of Xiao Xiao, the small vessel rapidly slipped into subspace, flying toward the direction of the Polar Star Empire.

Gu Xiechen watched the receding vessel and smiled coldly.

“Everyone, prepare yourselves and focus on elevating your cultivation quickly.”

“The Daoist of Wood has tens of thousands of disciples! He won't be easy to deal with!”

“Since he is so eager to kill Gu Xiechen, let him walk right into the trap, fighting a decisive battle on the battlefield Gu Xiechen chooses!”

“After destroying the forces of the Daoist of Wood and settling that score, it will be Gu Xiechen’s turn to go to the Polar Star Empire and demand an accounting from Golo and Man!”

“So many bioweapons, so many nuclear strikes…” The thought of Earth, turned into a black hole, caused a searing pain in Gu Xiechen’s heart.

Some debts demanded repayment in amounts of blood and flesh multiplied by tens of thousands. Only by destroying the entire Polar Star Empire could the anguish in Gu Xiechen’s heart be slightly eased.

After clearing the battlefield, Gu Xiechen instructed Mo Liqing to lead his subordinates in rapidly restoring their combat strength, then he returned to the mine and entered closed-door seclusion for cultivation.

Three days later, a joint fleet formed by seven five-star civilizations surrounding the Heath Empire suddenly mobilized toward the Heath Empire, launching an all-out war under a flimsy pretext!

The joint fleet possessed approximately one hundred thousand first-class warships, an exact match for the total number of main battle fleets belonging to the Heath Empire.

War was imminent.