Planet Two was the primary residence for all the high officials and nobility of the Polaris Empire. Though these affluent clans possessed their own fiefdoms, they all maintained significant estates on Planet Two. This sphere served as the arena for their daily socializing and networking, and the place where ministers and lords retired after completing their rotation shifts at the Imperial Palace on Planet One.
Star Cloud City was the sole urban settlement on Planet Two. Its municipal area spanned over five thousand square kilometers, yet its permanent residents numbered just over a million. It was usually a city of profound peace and tranquility, filled nightly with revelry; thousands of parties and clandestine salons were hosted daily, where the nobility of the Polaris Empire would casually exchange interests and forge alliances—pacts often destined to be shattered by the next dawn.
Yet, the atmosphere in Star Cloud City had grown exceptionally tense over the past few days. Members of numerous powerful noble families were constantly streaming in from all corners of the Polaris Empire, only to swiftly disperse toward various regions of the realm. Some arrived brimming with joy, only to depart cloaked in sorrow; others arrived weighted with anxiety, bidding farewell with buoyant spirits. Even more shockingly, some were frightened to death by sudden calamities, while others descended into madness from unexpected good fortune.
It was a period of utter chaos. The streets and alleys of Star Cloud City were riddled with spies from the Imperial System, and formations of Imperial Guard clad in full armor patrolled everywhere. In the outer space surrounding Planet Two, four dreadnought Death Star vessels were anchored, and orbiting nearby Planet One were another six of the same fearsome warships.
These ten Death Star vessels belonged to Empress Meilin. Before this, no one had suspected that Meilin commanded such a vast fleet of immensely powerful destroyers. Furthermore, according to hushed rumors circulating in the marketplaces, these ten Death Star ships had never been registered with the Imperial Military Department, meaning the origins of these ten warships were completely unknown!
However, few people seemed concerned with that particular detail. How many Death Star ships Empress Meilin held did nothing to change the established fact: she had ruthlessly slaughtered the entire lineage of the Dortro and Longkilans noble houses and seized all their power and territories. Not only were every members of these two illustrious families exterminated, but even the wealthy administrative planets within their fiefdoms had been utterly annihilated, seemingly cementing the terrifying reputation of the “Blood Demon Empress.”
Following the misfortune of the Dortro and Longkilans families, the next targets were the clans affiliated with several other Imperial Consorts and their vassal families. Several Consorts and the princes they bore were publicly executed on the Polaris Empire’s news channels, broadcast to hundreds of millions of citizens, charged with depraved court intrigue and interfering with state affairs. The news of their affiliated families being confiscated and their entire bloodlines purged was also live-streamed across the Empire. For nearly three days, the news broadcasts of the Polaris Empire were saturated with scenes of heads rolling.
Gu Xiechen, his appearance skillfully altered, sat with his legs crossed in the rooftop restaurant of Star Cloud City’s only luxury hotel. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, he gazed over the scenic, lake-dotted, forested expanse of Star Cloud City. With casual interest, he peeled open a shell resembling a small gourd, placing the kernel onto the dish before Jin, who sat opposite him. Jin’s face had been transformed into a mask of soot and shadow; the slick, oily black skin seemed capable of reflecting light. This was the result of Zhao Tianjun’s masterful disguise work on Jin.
Chewing the hard nut with gritted teeth, Jin murmured, “What now?”
Gu Xiechen nonchalantly swung his bare feet, chuckling under his breath with a hint of schadenfreude. “We wait. Then, we eat well, drink well, play without restraint, and go mad. We wait.”
Jin visibly paused, blinking slowly before asking, “Wait for what?”
Gu Xiechen reached out and flicked Jin’s forehead, smiling broadly. “Wait for certain reactions! Our Empress suddenly possesses ten Death Star ships, has suddenly seized control of the entire Imperial Guard Corps, and nearly half of the Empire’s generals now pledge allegiance to her. Don’t you find that incredibly amusing?”
He let out a cold laugh, continuing, “Where did Mu Sha Dortro and the others go? Where did the masters of the Longkilans family disappear to? And the cultivators from so many other noble houses of the Polaris Empire? Where are those renowned rogue cultivators? This spectacle isn't over yet.”
Meilin had absolutely no need to broadcast the executions of the Consorts and Princes on the state channels, nor did she need to repeatedly replay the devastation wrought upon the fiefdoms of the Dortro and Longkilans families. What was so fascinating about two domains thoroughly destroyed, now filled only with destructive energies and meteorites?
Meilin was setting a trap. She was using these horrifying displays to provoke certain individuals, compelling them to step out and face her in decisive battle.
Her possession of ten Death Star ships—and likely more—was her foundation of confidence. The substantial aid from Celestial Corpse Venerable had boosted her assurance even further. A Death Star was, after all, an inanimate object. While capable of unleashing an attack equivalent to a First-Grade Golden Immortal strike, it held only that singular power before requiring a replacement God Crystal. Whether judged by cost or efficiency, this was not high-yield firepower. A Celestial Immortal Second Grade like the Celestial Corpse Venerable, in a sense, was far more valuable than ten Death Star ships!
Daoist Mu had clearly gone off to muster allies somewhere, but his sudden vanishing act created the perfect vacuum for Meilin to strike with full force.
Having obliterated the foundations of the Dortro and Longkilans families, it was impossible for Daoist Mu not to confront Meilin eventually. Coupled with the endless stream of family annihilation footage running on the news channels, the moment Daoist Mu lost his composure and challenged Meilin, he would immediately be met with a hurricane of retaliatory strikes.
Meilin had achieved comprehensive strategic advantage!
Gu Xiechen sighed internally, served Jin a few more kernels of the nut, and then, reaching into his sleeve, pulled out a bottle of gold-leafed brandy. He pulled the stopper and took a long, deep pull. The rich liquor slid down his throat, setting his stomach alight like a bonfire. He flicked the crystal bottle lightly, and the crimson hue in Gu Xiechen's eyes deepened perceptibly. His favorite vintage Jindi Brandy—he would never taste it again. Even that brewed according to the purest methods on Paradise Star would no longer be the genuine article from Earth.
Earth—there was only one! And only wine produced on that single planet could truly satisfy his palate!
Raising the bottle for another swig, Gu Xiechen hesitated. He slowly lowered the bottle, carefully resealed the stopper, and tucked it back into his sleeve. To drink a bottle was to lose one forever. He must drink a little less each time. This was his ritualistic comfort, a taste that always recalled his familiar Earth, his cherished home, and all the people and events he knew...
With a deep sigh, Gu Xiechen softly hummed a desolate, low melody. It was the sound of Uilleann pipes from the Irish highlands, a tune that evoked profound sorrow and tears.
Jin, still crunching nuts, froze momentarily, then ground her molars with increasing force, the resulting fine crak-crak sound barely audible.
A group of lavishly dressed young men and women swaggered into the dining room, talking loudly and confidently, their conversation laced with arrogance and an air of untouchable superiority. A waiter approached them, but simply because he addressed them with the standard term for common nobility, “Sir/Madam” (Daren), instead of the superior address, “Your Excellency” (Gexia), he was viciously slapped several times and violently beaten underfoot.
The commotion drew the attention of every diner in the restaurant; all looked up in astonishment. Those capable of entering Star Two, especially those frequenting this particular hotel, were invariably scions of noble houses, but such rampant arrogance was something they had never witnessed.
Soon enough, however, Gu Xiechen discerned the identity of this unruly group: they were the children of those lords and generals who had eagerly aligned themselves with Meilin during this purge. These individuals were usually considered middling, lower-tier figures within the Polaris nobility, accustomed to keeping their heads down. But now, because their elders had been suddenly endowed with unimaginable power and territories thanks to Meilin’s swift action, their tails had shot skyward.
Consider this very hotel: previously, they would have lacked the confidence to dine here, but now, they marched in brazenly, ready to resort to violence at the slightest provocation. This was because the hotel itself had recently become the asset of one of their newly elevated families—this sole establishment in Star Cloud City had belonged to the Dortro family!
The group of opportunistic youths savagely beat the waiter until he vomited blood and collapsed unconscious. Only then did they step back, preening with satisfaction. Gu Xiechen swept the waiter with his divine sense and knew he was doomed; several fractured ribs had pierced his heart and lungs, he was hemorrhaging internally, and had perhaps three to five minutes left to live.
Shaking his head, Gu Xiechen sighed softly. “A reshuffling of power. It truly drives people mad.”
An even more maddening spectacle followed. The young man leading the group summoned the restaurant manager, pointing rudely at the dining patrons and barking imperiously, “You have ten counts to clear this room. We are hosting a victory banquet here.”
The manager stood stunned, his eyes wide as he exclaimed, “Your Excellency, we have no such custom here. Everyone who enters here is a noble of the highest standing! We cannot do this!”
A heavy slap sent the manager sprawling to the ground, followed by several boots kicking into his body. Patrons in the restaurant heard the sickening sound of bones snapping beneath the blows.
The youth who had spoken surveyed the room with cold hauteur, his hands clasped behind his back in a pose mimicking a true superior. He lowered his voice to a commanding drawl: “This hotel is now the private property of my family, effective today. I am offering you the chance to leave voluntarily; otherwise, every single one of you will be arrested for treason.”
The patrons exchanged glances. Almost simultaneously, everyone stood up and walked silently toward the exit. The families backing these arrogant youths were currently ascendant, representing the newest aristocratic class holding the highest and most absolute power in the Polaris Empire. No one wished to court trouble.
Except for Gu Xiechen and his party.
Gu Xiechen remained seated upright, gazing impassively out the window, silent.
Jin rolled her eyes and kept crunching nuts, her violet irises visibly swirling with rapid energy flows. She suddenly sighed mournfully, “I see their future. In three minutes, you will throw every one of them down from here. Hmm, this building is quite tall, isn’t it? They are merely One-Star Adepts at best. Won’t that be too cruel?”
Gu Xiechen glanced outside but made no comment. Perhaps it was a bit high? But it was a good idea. The building wasn't that tall—only a little over two thousand meters. With a bit of luck, they wouldn't die!
The Ten Heavenly Sovereigns didn't even spare the haughty youths a glance. They could crush a large swath of these ants with a single thumb; why bother acknowledging them? The fragrant roasted meat and the finest local spirits of the Polaris Empire before them were their only focus; everything else was ignored.
The group of thirty-odd youths watched with smug satisfaction as the other diners hastily filed out. They reveled in the exhilarating sensation of standing above the masses! This feeling was intoxicating, especially since many of the guests they had just expelled wore the insignia of their own noble ranks—people they had once only looked up to, but who were now trampled beneath their feet.
This taste—it was exquisitely delicious!
However, the sight of Gu Xiechen’s party, seated immovably, was a jarring blight on their perfect moment. They refused to move! They dared to remain seated!
Especially the Ten Heavenly Sovereigns, who were laughing, eating meat, and drinking wine. A few were even enthusiastically playing a finger-guessing game while drinking toasts.
The expressions of the young group shifted. Furious, they stormed over to the table. The leading young man raised his right hand and brought it down in a hard slap aimed at Gu Xiechen’s face.
Gu Xiechen gave a cold laugh, slanted his eyes to glare at them, and suddenly unleashed a wave of immense divine consciousness.
The transparent alloy panel of the floor-to-ceiling window beside him detached suddenly. The thirty-odd youths screamed in unison. Their vital points sealed by the power of extreme Yin, they were involuntarily snatched out the window by an unseen force.
The piercing shrieks faded into the distance, stopping abruptly after about ten seconds. Gu Xiechen smiled and nodded toward Jin. “The gravitational acceleration here is slightly greater than on Earth.”
Jin narrowed her eyes and smiled, then suddenly looked alertly to the side.
The waiter who had been brutally beaten and left near death was struggling to rise from the ground. He surveyed his surroundings, then staggered unsteadily toward Gu Xiechen's table.
The Ten Heavenly Sovereigns simultaneously rose, lining up shoulder-to-shoulder to block the waiter, whose entire being was suddenly radiating intense death energy.
The waiter did not approach further. He stopped several meters from the Sovereigns and chuckled softly. “An external powerhouse? Are you interested in a highly beneficial transaction?”
Gu Xiechen paused for a moment, then asked, leading the exchange, “Who do you represent?”
The waiter flashed a horrifying grin. “I am the Eternal Starlight, Emperor of the Polaris Empire! If you are interested in a trade, follow me!”
With a few chilling cackles, the waiter, who should have been dying moments ago, suddenly sprang upward, smashing through the transparent alloy window panel—a barrier strong enough to withstand a minor meteor impact—and arced through the air toward a distant forest ridge.
Gu Xiechen grabbed Jin, mounted his sword light, and soared in pursuit.