On the last well-preserved administrative planet of Walsum, thick blood mist poured down from the heavens, and one by one, citizens of the Polar Star Empire collapsed amidst the crimson haze, like felled timbers. Their bodies convulsed, copious amounts of blood erupting from their pores, transforming into mist that ascended skyward, leaving behind nothing but desiccated corpses piled on the ground.

Six vast, black banners, each spanning a hundred miles across, billowed in the void. Six grotesquely visaged demon gods danced and reveled, devouring the rich vital essence of the blood mist and the malevolent resentment emanating from the massacred Polar Star Empire citizens. This noxious essence was supreme nourishment for the Six Desires Demon Gods; as they ceaselessly consumed it, their forms gradually solidified and became clearer.

Gu Yechen hovered above a colossal lake, the only remaining sanctuary on the entire planet. The blood mist dared not approach this place; it remained a land of abundant water and soil, fragrant with birdsong and blossoms.

A giant golden tortoise, over five meters long from head to tail, cautiously poked its head out of the lake. It arrogantly shook its massive head, lazily paddling its limbs as it slowly swam toward the small island in the lake's center. Yet, barely ten meters out, a large, ashen-white hand suddenly emerged from behind Gu Yechen's head and snatched it.

A flash of cold light circled the giant tortoise once, cleanly shearing off its shell. Gu Yechen flicked his wrist, tossing the tortoise's flesh and bones into the air. A Six Desires Demon God instantly flew over with delight, voraciously swallowing the vital, energy-rich flesh and bone entirely, making its own dark form significantly more defined. The blood mist in the distance suddenly surged and rolled over, transforming the lake into a deathly domain. The Taiyin Blazing Flame briefly tempered the immense tortoise shell, refining the massive carapace into something the size of a palm.

After meticulously calculating using the Tortoise Divination Art recorded in the Great Desolation Sutra, Gu Yechen shook his hands. The tortoise shell suddenly split open, and a fragment scraped his fingertip, tearing a small bloody wound. A droplet of pale golden blood jetted out, splashing precisely toward Dukart, who was suspended in the void diligently setting up numerous nuclear warheads.

After a moment of deep contemplation, Gu Yechen let out a sharp cry, summoning Rhuah, Hanba, and Dukart, and conveyed the results of his divination.

Fu Yaming faced a minor, yet not insignificant, problem, but with someone guarding her side, this small hurdle wouldn't be a major issue; in fact, she might gain considerable benefits. Rhuah absolutely had to return to Yafik. Young Daoist Zhang and Daoist Yi, along with other cultivators, could not appear in public, and Rhuah, consequently, could not stay by Fu Yaming’s side. This task fell solely to Hanba.

As for Dukart, he absolutely could not set foot in Yafik, or he would face certain death. He had to return to Earth, and the sooner the better. This time in the Walsum sector, Dukart had obtained a massive amount of technological data from the Polar Star Empire's military super-brain. This data belonged exclusively to a six-star civilization, and coupled with Dukart's and Xiao's formidable capabilities, it was enough to catalyze the Earth Federation’s rapid ascent to a breathtaking level of civilization within the next few decades.

Dukart had to return to the Earth Federation and convert this technological data into practical products as quickly as possible.

Accompanying Dukart was a piece of advice from Gu Yechen for Lone Wolf: the Earth Federation must prepare for war. Furthermore, they should expedite the selection process for the second and third waves of immigrants, swiftly and secretly relocating the descendants of the Guohua Nation to the worlds controlled by Wols or the Yafik Empire.

Although Gu Yechen himself did not fully understand why he was instructing this, his warning was never wrong. Being prepared beforehand was a hundred times better than waiting foolishly for death when disaster struck. Moreover, all preparatory actions had to be kept under the strictest secrecy, absolutely hidden from any outsider. These 'outsiders' included the Roman people and personnel from both Temples.

Although they remained uneasy about leaving Gu Yechen to act alone, Rhuah and Dukart, having witnessed his Tortoise Divination Art, dared not delay and could only proceed as instructed.

However, before the group parted ways, Rhuah and Dukart acted like two nagging old women, cautioning Gu Yechen repeatedly, fearing he might be tricked or harmed by accident. The Polar Star Empire had already produced masters like the Wood Daoist and Asura. Who could guarantee that the high command of the Polar Star Empire held no other monstrous figures? One Wood Daoist could wield two supreme treasures—the God-Striking Whip and the Apricot-Yellow Banner. The Purple Cloud Daoist, whom Gu Yechen had already eliminated, possessed the Incense Cauldron and the Immaculate Duster. It was highly likely other formidable treasures were still hidden within the Polar Star Empire, yet to be revealed. Thus, the two men nagged Gu Yechen for two full hours before the party finally bid a reluctant farewell.

Gu Yechen floated silently above the planet below, now reduced to a dead sphere, watching the triangular fighter carrying Rhuah and the other two slowly fly away.

Suddenly, Rhuah poked his head out of the fighter's hatch again. He unleashed a full-power mental wave toward Gu Yechen: "Master is dead. We, your close disciples, are few. You absolutely must not die! If I cannot protect my junior brothers, I will have failed the Corpse Emperor, whose bones have long since vanished!"

The fighter instantly vanished into the spatial barrier. Gu Yechen’s body trembled, and two clear streams of tears welled up in his eyes, accumulating into two large liquid spheres. Staring blankly in the direction Rhuah and the others had gone, Gu Yechen suddenly swept out a sword strike. A sword energy extending for a hundred miles cleaved a massive scar across the planet's largest continent—a gash a thousand miles long, a dozen miles wide, and a thousand zhang deep.

Vast amounts of smoke, dust, and magma erupted from the depths of the continent. The nuclear warheads Dukart had planted across the planet detonated in succession. Great fissures cracked open the planet beneath his feet, and it gradually shattered into pieces.

Coolly observing the Walsum star system, now reduced to a wasteland where even minor resource planets were utterly destroyed, Gu Yechen transformed into a streak of rainbow light and plunged into the spatial barrier himself.

Thousands of head-sized probes erupted from the surrounding void, quickly scattering throughout the entire star system.

After a lengthy scan and analysis, a synthesized report was transmitted to the capital star system of the Polar Star Empire. The Walsum star system was completely annihilated. The initially missing Walsum Governor, Golomand Daria, and every soul in the sector perished. All administrative planets and valuable resource planets were destroyed. The direct economic loss was equivalent to the Empire's total tax revenue for a century. All research institutes and military bases in the Walsum sector were ruined; the Empire had lost control and influence over the surrounding star domains, resulting in a 7.35% decline in overall national strength. The primary target, Gu Yechen, had vanished. Based on estimations, the probability of him heading toward the Starlight Domain was as high as 53.7%. Calculating using the fastest subspace travel methods known to six-star civilizations, if Gu Yechen traveled through subspace at a speed analogous to the speed of light for a junior, he would take forty-three standard years and eleven standard months to reach the Starlight Domain.

The prerequisite for Gu Yechen arriving on time was possessing a complete subspace route map and avoiding terrifying subspace spacetime turbulence. Upon deriving this conclusion, Merlin and the Wood Daoist simultaneously breathed sighs of relief. Gu Yechen would not be an immediate threat, granting them ample time to execute their plans.

Looking long-term, based on the Wood Daoist's personal experience flying through subspace using artifacts, his top speed barely reached an equivalent of two thousand three hundred times the speed of light. With Merlin ordering the destruction of all spatial jump points connecting the Walsum sector to the Starlight Domain, it was almost impossible for Gu Yechen to reach the Starlight Domain through physical flight. If he chose to travel via battleship in subspace, what was the fastest speed his current fleet could achieve? Could it compare to the Polar Star Empire's most advanced, ultra-high-speed subspace assault cruisers?

Gu Yechen might never pose a threat again. Realizing this, the Wood Daoist put his mind at ease. After finally explaining the full context and consequences of the severe casualties to his clan elders, he intensely accelerated his machinations. Beams of message tokens flew everywhere. The Wood Daoist sent invitations to all high-level cultivators with whom he maintained good relations. Within the spatial barrier, Gu Yechen steered the True Magnetic Dual-Essence Splitting Sword, flying forward at speed. He occasionally formed a hand seal, causing the black and white sword light to suddenly dissolve into chaos, fragmenting into dozens of afterimages before vanishing, reappearing an immeasurably great distance ahead in the blink of an eye.

Executing the Star Field Great Teleportation within the spatial barrier was an act of immense daring. If not for the protection of the incomparably powerful artifact, the Taiyin Profound Pearl, Gu Yechen would never have dared such a thing. Protected by the Pearl, he feared no spatial shockwaves causing him harm, allowing him to act recklessly. Within the peculiarly structured spatial barrier, each Great Teleportation advanced him a distance equivalent to a large planetary system in normal space—a terrifying speed.

Combined with the True Magnetic Dual-Essence Splitting Sword, which moved almost at the very limit of the spatial barrier's capacity, Gu Yechen estimated he needed a maximum of three years to reach the Starlight Domain. He did not even fear getting lost in the boundless cosmos. Although the Wood Daoist had escaped after their confrontation, a trace of Taiyin Qi remained within the injured Daoist. This residue would cause the Wood Daoist no harm, but for Gu Yechen, who possessed the Taiyin Profound Pearl, this strand of Taiyin Qi was a beacon in the endless void. Relying on the Pearl's sensitivity to all Taiyin Qi, he could track the Wood Daoist’s whereabouts at any moment. Executing the Star Field Great Teleportation at full power consumed seventy percent of Gu Yechen's energy with each jump. However, the Taiyin Profound Pearl continuously drew energy from the surroundings, converting it into Taiyin Qi to replenish Gu Yechen, rendering his power virtually limitless. After each teleportation, he only needed to pause for three deep breaths before leaping again—a supernatural ability typically reserved for Great Golden Immortals. Gu Yechen finally understood the magnitude of having a Primordial Supreme Treasure; its effect was ridiculously potent.

He traveled onward rapidly; time flowed by unnoticed for over six months. During these six months, Gu Yechen advanced in a straight line toward the direction sensed by the Taiyin Profound Pearl. Six months was just enough time for him to complete thirty-six major cycles of the Earth character scroll’s core cultivation method from the Great Desolation Sutra. Aided by the Taiyin Profound Pearl, the cultivation progress Gu Yechen made in six months surpassed the total benefits he had accrued since his childhood practice by several times. A stream of Taiyin Qi, like a white dragon, coursed through his body. With every inhale and exhale, it subtly caused the surrounding void to tremble. The foundation he had laid in entering the Embryonic Yellow Desolation Heaven realm was profoundly solidified, and his personal magic power became unimaginably vast.

Just as the thirty-sixth major cycle concluded, Gu Yechen sensed an extremely faint, anomalous fluctuation ahead in the void.

It seemed a violent tremor had occurred in the real space, drawing a significant energy tide into the subspace. The oscillation between the two spaces slightly increased the pressure within the spatial barrier, momentarily slowing the sword light’s advance. Gu Yechen seized the opportunity to halt the light. He released the Taiyin Profound Pearl and smashed through the spatial barrier, greedily swallowing the energy tide surging from subspace into the Pearl, further replenishing it. He reached out, grabbed a handful of the incoming energy tide, sniffed it close to his nose, and then gave a cold laugh. He turned, activated the Seven Emotions and Six Desires Soul-Bewildering Talisman to cloak his presence, and stealthily slipped out of the spatial barrier.

The Qi Discernment Method from the Great Desolation Sutra allowed Gu Yechen to detect a familiar scent—one that shared its murderous demonic aura with the Nightmare Dance Asura: an unsettling evil mingled with bloodlust. Emerging from the spatial barrier, Gu Yechen found himself within a small nebula dense with planetary bodies. The space between the asteroids here was compressed to its absolute limit. Looking up, his vision was filled with countless glittering, dazzling asteroids. This dense asteroid field, spanning over ten light-years wide, orbited a massive black hole at its center. The centrifugal force generated by the high-speed orbital motion barely counteracted the black hole's devouring pull. While vast clouds of stardust were constantly swallowed by the black hole, these uncountable, dense asteroids had remained safe for eons.

On one asteroid closest to the black hole, barely a thousand kilometers in diameter, a bloody massacre was unfolding. A peerlessly beautiful young woman clad in a black dress hovered silently high above, overlooking the scene like a deity descending from the clouds. This asteroid was covered in massive crystal prisms; the atmospheric temperature was extremely high, and humidity was intense, causing hand moisture to immediately condense into beads of water emitting thick white vapor upon a simple grasp. The soil was a strange purplish-black hue, and giant crystal prisms shot up from the ground like a forest reaching for the sky.

A handsome young man in white energy armor lay terrified beneath a towering blue crystal pillar. Nearly a thousand power wielders, ranging in strength from four-star to six-star, surrounded him, roaring loudly as they engaged in fierce combat with a squad of about a hundred black-robed cultivators.

The power wielders could only unleash basic psychic attacks. Fireballs, water jets, and ice spikes filled the air, striking and shattering the surrounding hard crystal prisms. The broken crystal shards reflected the light of countless stars overhead, resembling a magnificent rain of light. However, these attacks posed no real threat to the cultivators, whose skill levels were at least equivalent to the Golden Core stage. These cultivators either manifested protective magic artifacts or wreathed themselves in sword light. Moreover, several cultivators at the peak of the Void Realm simply encased themselves in protective gangqi shields. No matter how fierce the energy attacks, they could not penetrate these defenses.

The cultivators' counterattacks were merely vexatious. They continuously struck the clashing power wielders with distracting Palm Lightning, breaking their bones and tearing their flesh, yet they intentionally avoided dealing lethal blows.

The young man lying beneath the crystal pillar suddenly screamed hoarsely. Due to the extreme temperature of the planetary atmosphere, his voice came out as a dull, "buzzing" sound. The black-dressed maiden waved her hand sharply, and the cultivators instantly retreated in unison, forming ranks according to their respective cultivation levels. These cultivators were disciplined like an army, which made Gu Yechen frown. The power wielders, battered and defeated, also ceased their attacks, cautiously retreating to shield the young man.

The black-dressed maiden descended to the ground, walking toward the young man with her hands clasped behind her back, her face grim. She parted her red lips and hissed in a chilling tone, "Run, keep running. Let's see how far you can escape."

After a few cold laughs, the black-dressed maiden said indifferently, "Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, you cannot escape my grasp. Yield to me, and you will have good days ahead. If you refuse..."

The maiden’s fair, soft hand gently reached out, grasped, and squeezed to the side. A power wielder suddenly screamed as his steaming, still-beating heart was violently ejected from his mouth. The maiden sent it flying hundreds of meters away with a single palm strike, embedding it deeply into a distant purple crystal. With a loud bang, the wielder’s body and the crystal exploded simultaneously, scattering crystal shards and minced flesh everywhere.

The young man shrieked, "No, Xuanwu Asura, I will never agree to your terms!" Xuanwu Asura curled her red lips into a scornful sneer, "Still refusing?" She waved her right hand lightly. Another dozen power wielders suddenly had their chests cave in by nearly a foot, their internal organs pulverized into pulp, which spurted out with blood in a gruesome display. Xuanwu Asura roared menacingly, "If you don't agree, this is your fate!"

The young man glared venomously at Xuanwu Asura and spoke coldly, "Go ahead and kill them. They are all my household slaves; it matters not if they all perish. I will amply reward their families, ensuring their kin enjoy prosperity for generations. You damned woman, if I ever get my hands on you, I will have them take turns possessing you until you die from endless torment!"

Gu Yechen nodded secretly. This young man’s status was clearly not low; he commanded over a thousand power wielders as bodyguards, and his resolute words suggested he had formidable backing. Xuanwu Asura nodded repeatedly in fury. She sneered, "Good, very good. You are determined to oppose me? Excellent, very well!"

With a sharp cry, the black silk ribbon binding her hair transformed into a pillar of black energy soaring into the sky. Her ankle-length hair billowed in the air like countless venomous snakes twisting and writhing. A series of screams followed as the black energy condensed into a colossal python that plunged from the heights, instantly swallowing nearly a hundred power wielders. In moments, the python’s body expelled a pile of skeletal remains, completely drained of bone marrow and devoid of even a trace of blood.

The giant python, over a thousand meters long, swayed its indistinct body, weaving around the area where the power wielders were being tortured. It occasionally shot out a long tongue of black energy to lick the faces and bodies of the captives. The black energy spit by the python was like concentrated sulfuric acid; wherever it touched, flesh dissolved in large patches, exposing gleaming white bone. Yet, these power wielders stood rigidly, allowing their flesh to rot away piece by piece without uttering a single cry of pain. The young man laughed triumphantly, mocking Xuanwu Asura, "Do you think tormenting them like this achieves anything?"

Xuanwu Asura furiously halted her actions. She glared at the young man and demanded, "You ungrateful wretch! If it weren't for your... Hmph, you are truly inexplicable. I helped you ascend to the throne—why won't you seize such a good opportunity?"

The young man looked at Xuanwu Asura proudly and shook his head dismissively, "You help me ascend the throne? To inherit my father's throne, why would I need your assistance?"

It turned out this young man was a prince, which only piqued Gu Yechen's interest further. Since Nightmare Dance Asura was colluding with Golomand, had she promised him similar benefits? What were these demonic women planning? Furthermore, judging by Xuanwu Asura's current actions, was she perhaps trying to coerce this prince into some sort of physical entanglement? "Interesting, very interesting!"

Seeing Xuanwu Asura manipulate the black-energy-bound python to strike at the power wielders again, Gu Yechen clapped his hands, laughing aloud as he revealed his presence from the side.

Having taken only a few steps, the True Magnetic Dual-Essence Splitting Sword silently swept before the cultivators. With a sudden flash of light, nearly a hundred cultivators were instantly reduced to dust. Gu Yechen snatched out his hand, and the various storage artifacts and personal flying swords worn by these cultivators were collected into the Azure Lotus Ring.

Winking mischievously at the stunned Xuanwu Asura, Gu Yechen suddenly teleported beside her and delivered a powerful kick to her lower abdomen.

The force of the mountain-like hidden power erupted. Xuanwu Asura let out a cold snort, and her body shot backward. Gu Yechen felt his foot land on emptiness; Xuanwu Asura’s body was as slippery as a loach, offering no resistance, rendering the kick completely ineffective as if landing on nothingness. Giving her an astonished glance, a white giant hand shot out from behind Gu Yechen's head and lunged fiercely toward her.

The moment the Grand Yin Restraint Seal manifested, Xuanwu Asura knew she was no match for Gu Xiechen. She shot Gu Xiechen a venomous glare, transforming into a streak of sanguine light and attempting to flee skyward. "Where do you think you're going!" Just as Gu Xiechen prepared to unleash the True Magnetic Two Extremes Separating Light Sword to pursue Xuanwu Asura, a downpour of condensed starlight suddenly crashed down from above.

Xuanwu Asura let out a miserable shriek as the blood-light she had become was shattered into fragments by the deluge of starlight. Even her true form was riddled with holes like a sieve. The piercing silver light-rain descended rapidly, dragging Xuanwu Asura hurtling toward the ground.

Several colossal crystal pillars, each several meters thick, were utterly pulverized by Xuanwu Asura’s plummeting body. She coughed up a mouthful of blood, collapsing weakly onto the earth.

"Excellent, worthy of being my son!"

A deep, resonant voice boomed from the heavens as a formidable middle-aged man with long, fiery red hair and an imposing crimson robe slowly descended.

The young man cried out joyfully, "Imperial Father!"

Xuanwu Asura screamed in horror, "The Emperor of the Flame Dragon Empire... Chi Long Fal Lieyan!"

Chi Long Lieyan swept a cold gaze over Xuanwu Asura before offering a slight, respectful bow to Gu Xiechen, inquiring politely, "Mighty friend, thank you for saving this disappointing child of mine. May I ask where you hail from and where you intend to go? If it is not too presumptuous, might I invite you to rest briefly at my Imperial Palace?" Gu Xiechen scanned Chi Long Lieyan with his divine sense and instantly grasped his strength—a Six Tribulation Loose Immortal, comparable in cultivation to Daoist Ziyun.

After a moment of contemplation, Gu Xiechen nodded slowly. He gestured toward Xuanwu Asura and sneered, "Very well. However, I want a full confession from her..."

Noticing Chi Long Lieyan's considerable surprise, Gu Xiechen decided to be forthright. "I hold a grudge against a woman named Yanwu Asura. I need to know precisely what kind of organization they belong to."

Xuanwu Asura gasped, "You've seen that slut Yanwu?"

Chi Long Lieyan clapped his hands and laughed heartily. "So you do know each other? Splendid! You shall have full access to all his confessions!"

Gu Xiechen and Chi Long Lieyan exchanged a glance and burst into laughter simultaneously. Then, both of them turned their unfriendly gazes onto Xuanwu Asura, resembling two butchers eyeing a pitiful little rabbit.

Xuanwu Asura gritted her teeth, and with swift precision, spat a gout of blood from all seven orifices before her body slumped heavily to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, not a trace of life remained within her body; even her soul had been annihilated.

Gu Xiechen and Chi Long Lieyan were profoundly shaken. They looked at each other and simultaneously drew in a sharp breath.

How ruthless this woman was to herself. How ruthless the organization behind her was in controlling its subordinates!