The luminous dome above Lihua City deepened in shade, casting an ever-darkening hue over the city's crowded thoroughfares, as lights flickered on across the various embassies. The night of Dahlia City had arrived.

From one edge of the sky to the other, a dozen artificial satellites were arrayed in a straight line in the void. These colossal structures orbited so close to Xavielmes that Gu Xiachen could, even with the naked eye, make out the buildings upon them, and even discern figures moving about on their surfaces. Since his breakthrough in cultivation, his five senses had grown impossibly sharp.

Standing on the balcony of the Yavier Empire Embassy, Gu Xiachen drew his focus away from the satellites and looked towards Xin Jia, whose face was a mottled purple, nervously twisting his large hands beside him. Xin Jia looked at that moment like a maiden caught in the throes of first love, his coy demeanor almost making Gu Xiachen laugh out loud.

He deliberately held back, letting Xin Jia stew for a full minute, until the man’s pores seemed ready to glow crimson. Gu Xiachen then cleared his throat softly and asked, "What's the matter? Princess Mi'er?"

Xin Jia immediately dropped to his knees before Gu Xiachen, his voice muffled. "High Venerable One, your subordinate acted on his own initiative, please forgive—"

Gu Xiachen cut him off, chuckling heartily. "It’s nothing, nothing at all. It’s only human nature; how could I possibly blame you? But you and her... ah, ha ha ha!"

“Heh heh.” After a few foolish chuckles, Xin Jia stood up and, with affected grace, related the whole story from beginning to end.

Long, long ago, when the five Xin brothers were still mere mortals, they had a neighbor whose daughter looked exactly like Princess Mi'er. That little girl trailed Xin Jia around like a persistent shadow, never venturing more than twenty feet away from him, no matter where he went.

But one day, while hunting deep in the mountains, the five brothers encountered their master—an ancient cultivator who had achieved profound success on the Dao of Immortality. Astonished by their innate potential, he taught them the divine art, the Six Ding Six Jia Mountain-Splitting Divine Power. Thus, the five brothers began their cultivation, eventually achieving success, attaining the status of Heavenly Immortals, and being granted official posts as Yellow Turban Strongmen within the Southern Heaven Gate's Garrison Regiment.

In those days, travel between the Celestial Court and the mortal realm was unrestricted. Having achieved immortality, the five Xin brothers excitedly returned to the village where they grew up. However, their parents were long dead, and the little girl who had clung to Xin Jia was now a very old woman, frail and near death, who had never married.

Gu Xiachen and Penghua, who had been eavesdropping from a hidden corner, remained silent, both staring blankly up at the sky.

Xin Jia’s expression grew strange as he mumbled about the sudden flash of clarity in the old woman’s dim eyes when she first saw him, and the blazing, fervent smile that erupted across her withered face. It was the last time he ever saw the little girl, a smile that Xin Jia would carry in his heart forever. Though he possessed the cultivation and might of a Heavenly Immortal, he could not reclaim lost youth, nor pull back a human soul already absorbed into the Six Paths of Reincarnation. That single smile had become permanently etched into his soul.

“This past love is now just a memory to cherish, though at the time, it slipped away unnoticed!”

Penghua rose silently from behind the wall, sighing towards the heavens. "Is the pursuit of Heavenly Immortality truly worth this price? Even divine status—what is it worth if the one you love is not by your side?" He shook his head, blinking his slightly watery eyes, muttering, "Strange, why am I suddenly sentimental about this?"

With hands clasped behind his back, Penghua stepped into the void, slowly walking step by deliberate step off the balcony...

Gu Xiachen walked up to Xin Jia, looking at his flushed, awkward face. He suddenly clapped him heartily on the shoulder. "Treat Mi'er well. I believe she must be the reincarnation of that little girl. To meet her again in this vast ocean of humanity—now that you have found her, do not let her go."

Xin Jia bowed, clasping his hands towards Gu Xiachen. "Your subordinate merely fears delaying Your Venerable One's important affairs."

Gu Xiachen laughed a few times, then darted swiftly behind Xin Jia and delivered a heavy kick to his backside. He grinned wickedly, "Nonsense about important affairs! Your own brother’s marriage is the most important thing! Right, from this day forward, I declare a new rule: everyone here, if you take a fancy to a girl, go after her, fight for her! Hahahaha! I became a High Venerable One midway through my path and don't adhere to such petty rules."

These words were spoken to Xin Jia, but also to the more than ten thousand Celestial Soldiers and Generals hidden within his Sea of Consciousness. Gu Xiachen declared happily, "Forget all celestial regulations and precepts! We are brothers now. We will have only one rule henceforth: everyone must live according to their own heart’s desire, without failing themselves, and without failing those around you."

Looking up, Gu Xiachen smiled faintly at the satellites overhead. He seemed to see two intensely bright eyes slowly dissolve in the boundless void, transforming into streams of light. He seemed to see Jin again—the one who was a bit wild yet always cautiously approaching him. As for Jin, Gu Xiachen had only viewed her as a little sister to be cherished... But why was there a faint, sharp ache in his chest?

Perhaps, as Penghua had said, "This past love is now just a memory to cherish, though at the time, it slipped away unnoticed!"

A strong wind swept down from the high altitude—the recycling system of Dahlia City expelling air saturated with the potent scent of the primeval forest. The wind carried faint, delicate fragrances. Many tiny, pale-blue and purplish-blue petals, no larger than a fingernail, drifted down. The aroma of the petals was enduring; adhering to clothing, even the fabric absorbed that subtle perfume.

An antique-style carriage, drawn by beasts of burden, rolled past the street in front of the embassy. A young woman in a court dress cautiously poked her head out of the window, her wide, bright eyes darting around as she peered toward them. Gu Xiachen clearly heard another, softer voice from within the carriage asking her to explain what had happened there during the day. The two young women seemed acquainted with Princess Mi'er and were worried that the embassy might face retribution from the wolf packs.

After the carriage slowly passed the embassy gates, a small, intricately crafted box of pure silver flew out of the window, tumbling to rest on the steps before the entrance.

Gu Xiachen snatched it telekinetically; the small box soared up and landed directly in his hand. Sounds of surprise erupted from inside the carriage, and its speed rapidly increased before it disappeared around a street corner. Opening the small box, which was no larger than an infant's fist, he found a smooth piece of paper folded into a neat square. Two lines were written there in elegant script: Wolf packs—the fat wolf was killed; they are preparing retribution. Mi'er, you must be strong!

“Heh heh heh,” Gu Xiachen laughed contentedly. He handed the small silver box and the note to Xin Jia. “Go show this to Mi'er. Her friends are still thinking of her.”

Xin Jia scratched his head, taking the box and note, and mumbled, “Go see Mi'er? Uh, High Venerable One, look at how I’m dressed, ha ha.” Xin Jia tugged at his battle skirt and ran a hand over the thick, long, dark beard on his face, licking his lips uncomfortably as he shifted his weight.

Gu Xiachen rolled his eyes at him and laughed. "You’ve nearly reached the level of a Heavenly Immortal—are a few items of clothing truly beyond your ability to manage? Scram!"

He promptly kicked Xin Jia off the balcony and burst into hearty laughter. As he said, the Xin brothers, after several years of rigorous training, had broken through the Void Realm, infinitely close to their original Heavenly Immortal status. With the power of a Heavenly Immortal, physical form and appearance were no longer important—surely Xin Jia could change his appearance however he wished? To be frank, Gu Xiachen admitted, seeing Xin Jia’s formidable physique next to Princess Mi’er’s doll-like smallness did feel rather odd.

However, Xin Jia actually had such a romantic history! Gu Xiachen’s smile froze on his face; he suddenly felt the weight on his shoulders increase just a little bit more.

Princess Mi'er, Yavier Empire...

Gu Xiachen called out softly, "Xiao Xiao, gather some intelligence on the Yavier Empire. Find out exactly how they lost their capital city."

A mechanical centipede, as thick as a thumb, crawled out from behind a potted plant. Xiao Xiao commented in a strange voice, "What is this thing called love that makes men swear to live and die together? But beings like Immortals—they have transcended the human realm. Why do they still have emotions? Are Immortals truly not human?"

Muttering this question that greatly troubled Gu Xiachen, Xiao Xiao’s avatar quickly slipped into the darkness.

More petals were carried in by the strong wind from afar, drifting down, filling the air with a delightful, dark fragrance. The concentration of spiritual energy in Dahlia City was exceptionally dense, and this balcony was very tranquil. Gu Xiachen simply sat down cross-legged on the terrace to circulate his energy. He drew the Yin and Yang energies, bit by bit, from the Grand Yin Profound Orb and the Grand Yang Profound Orb, converting them into his own cultivation. Faint rays of black and white light enveloped his body as the Yin and Yang energies mingled, creating a hazy, swirling aura around him.

The night passed uneventfully. The next morning, as soon as Gu Xiachen finished his practice, he heard Mi'er’s laughter coming from the courtyard behind the embassy building. Wearing a white dress, Mi'er clapped her hands and jumped around the yard, cheering Xin Jia on. Nearly a hundred Yavier Empire embassy guards were panting heavily while pulling on a thick rope in a tug-of-war against Xin Jia. Pitiable as they were, even exerting all their strength, they couldn't budge Xin Jia’s body an inch.

Challenging a Yellow Turban Strongman to a contest of strength? Gu Xiachen stared in astonishment at the guards, who were dripping with sweat. They truly possessed courage.

Suddenly, a sharp whistle pierced the air from above. Something was approaching at extreme speed. Gu Xiachen snorted coldly, reached out with his left hand into the void, and unleashed a Grand Yin Restriction spell. A cloud of hazy water vapor instantly condensed into form. Six large-caliber, high-velocity missiles were wrapped by the vapor, suspended motionless in the air. The temperature within that white, shimmering cloud dropped drastically, and in the blink of an eye, the six missiles froze into blue ice crystals that drifted harmlessly to the ground.

Xin Jia had already dropped the rope and rushed to Mi'er's side, shielding her. Seeing the incoming missiles destroyed by Gu Xiachen, Xin Jia cried out in indignation, "High Venerable One, who dares to be so audacious?"

Gu Xiachen lazily pointed toward several dark specks beneath the dome to the right—five small, White Wing-class frigates shaped like giant white birds. These ships were only a hundred meters long, miniature versions of true White Wing cruisers, but within a planetary atmosphere, these small frigates possessed formidable combat power, serving as the standard patrol and defense armament for Six-Star Civilizations on planetary surfaces. As the location of the Star Alliance headquarters, Dahlia City naturally employed these small vessels for routine security.

With another cold snort, Gu Xiachen unleashed his vast divine sense toward them, instantly shattering the souls of everyone aboard the frigates. Then, he swept his hand out, and the Green Lotus Ring transformed into a streak of green light, engulfing the five ships and grinding everyone inside to dust.

Several men on the street outside, who had appeared to be casually strolling, let out terrified screams. They stared helplessly at Gu Xiachen standing on the embassy rooftop balcony, then at the five pulverized warships slowly drifting down like ash. They suddenly turned and fled.

But it was too late. The Xin brothers, cursing loudly, had already rushed out of the embassy building, sweeping toward the fleeing men like a whirlwind. They unleashed a barrage of slaps across the faces of the men. As Yellow Turban Strongmen, even though the Xin brothers carefully moderated their strength, their palms still inflicted shattering blows upon the men. In the space of just two or three breaths, the men, whose bones were reduced to fragments, collapsed onto the ground like puddles of mud.

Sharp sirens blared from all directions. A squad of fully armed Star Alliance Military Police rushed toward the scene. The commanding officer shouted sternly, "Halt! Are you not afraid of Star Alliance sanctions?"

Xin Yi looked up at Gu Xiachen. Gu Xiachen counted on his fingers for a moment, then shook his head regretfully. "The official day is still a few days away. Forget it; let's avoid using force for now!"

He floated down from the balcony and approached Princess Mi'er. Looking at the small, adorable, doll-like princess, he smiled and gently ruffled her long hair. He then leaned close to Mi'er’s ear and whispered a few words to her. Mi'er blinked once, then immediately called out sweetly, "Grandpa Mengluda, you all come out with me!"

A dozen stern-faced, green-robed elders hurried over. They glanced hesitantly at Gu Xiachen and Xin Jia. The old man named Mengluda, who was the Yavier Empire’s envoy to the Star Alliance headquarters, gritted his teeth and hurried to stand beside Mi'er as they walked toward the main embassy entrance.

Gu Xiachen smiled, gently nudged Xin Jia toward Mi'er’s side, and then adopted the air of an utterly disinterested spectator, sauntering after them.

Approximately three hundred Star Alliance Military Police had surrounded the main entrance. Xin Yi and his brothers were being held at bay, their vital points pressed by the weapons of a dozen officers. As Gu Xiachen passed through the embassy foyer, he casually waved toward a lounge on the right. That vast lounge, with ceilings thirty meters high and extending far back, instantly filled with piles of Star Light Silver. Mixed in with these silver ingots were large quantities of high-grade Zakla crystals. The various crystal lights and silver gleams merged into one blinding spectacle.

Mi'er was already standing on the steps before the embassy, hands on her hips, indignantly shouting at the Military Police.

The officers, however, remained unmoved, staring at Mi'er. Their captain aggressively pointed at the Xin Yi brothers and the unfortunate men they had beaten into broken heaps on the ground, shouting, "Assaulting civilians wantonly within Dahlia City under the name of the Star Alliance is an act of contempt! These four thugs must be punished!"

Mi'er retorted angrily, "They are mercenaries hired by our Yavier Empire, guards protecting our embassy!"

The captain gave a sly smile. "The capital of the Yavier Empire has fallen; all its territory has been occupied. According to Star Alliance statutes, the Yavier Empire no longer exists."

Mi'er glared at the captain and sneered, "The Yavier Empire has not perished! According to Star Alliance statutes, as the legitimate heir to the throne, I can file for a government-in-exile application with the Supreme Council. As long as we recover a certain amount of territory within three years, the Yavier Empire will still exist!"

The captain laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke in the universe, clutching his stomach. He pointed at Princess Mi'er and roared, "A government-in-exile? Recovering territory in three years? Oh..." He lewdly scrutinized Mi'er's delicate and sweet face. "Or perhaps you are willing to become the pet of some powerful figure in a Six-Star Civilization? Then the Yavier Empire could truly be restored!"

Before the pale-faced Mi'er could reply in anger, the captain continued, "However, because you have offended someone you shouldn't have, you won't even get that chance."

Gu Xiachen walked out, hands behind his back, swaying slightly. He smiled at the captain, then frowned as if clueless. "Your Highness, why are these people blocking the door? Have the ruffians who tried to break into the embassy earlier been caught? Hmm? Why are our guards being detained by them? Are they accomplices of those thieves?"

The captain drew himself up, coldly examining Gu Xiachen before sneering, "Stop playing dumb. The Yavier Empire has wantonly disrupted Dahlia City's order and injured innocent pedestrians. We will report this matter to the Supreme Council and immediately revoke your application for government-in-exile status. All of you must—"

The captain’s speech was cut short, because Gu Xiachen casually pushed against the outer wall of the embassy. The meter-thick wall instantly crumbled, revealing the mountain of silver ingots and Zakla crystals piled high in the lounge behind it. Gu Xiachen sighed heavily. "This was not an innocent assault. I have ample evidence to prove that these men lying on the ground were planning to steal our Yavier Empire's Restoration Fund. They attempted to storm the embassy to loot our nation's funds, so we were forced to apprehend them."

Penghua appeared from who knows where, sporting several suspicious-looking pink lip prints on his face. He haughtily yelled at the dumbfounded captain, "Release them immediately! You aren't arresting the thieves who plotted to rob us, but detaining our loyal guards! I will file a complaint against you with the Star Alliance Supreme Council!"

Gu Xiachen walked up to the captain, leaned close to his ear, and said menacingly, "If I use this Restoration Fund to bribe the Star Alliance high command, how many times do you think you could die? How much benefit did that inexplicable wolf pack give you to make you fight so hard for them?"

The captain’s face changed drastically. He didn't utter a sound, just signaled his subordinates and turned to leave. They had arrived with extreme arrogance, but they departed in a disgruntled huff, having utterly lost face. Doors of a dozen surrounding Five-Star Civilization embassies were lined with onlookers. Seeing Gu Xiachen dismiss the MP squad with a few words, several embassy officials who had been friendly with the Yavier Empire began to applaud and cheer, their astonished gazes continually sweeping over Princess Mi'er and the huge pile of...

The news that Princess Mi'er was about to submit an application for protection as a government-in-exile to the Star Alliance Supreme Council, and that the Yavier Empire had stored an enormous Restoration Fund within the embassy, spread rapidly throughout Dahlia City. With deliberate instigation from certain interested parties, the amount of the Restoration Fund stored in the embassy began to increase exponentially. Eventually, rumors circulated that the Yavier Empire had brought in enough Star Light Silver to purchase three Five-Star Civilizations in order to secure the support of the Star Alliance leadership.

Princess Mi'er’s actions further proved certain things. Escorted by Xin Jia and the others, she spent half a day running between various functional departments of the Star Alliance and successfully filed her petition for government-in-exile protection, establishing the Yavier Empire’s government-in-exile in Dahlia City, and depositing a substantial security deposit.

Subsequently, Princess Mi'er approached the largest arms dealers in Dahlia City and finalized a massive weapons procurement contract using an enormous quantity of Star Light Silver.

The Yavier embassy officials deliberately let the news leak: the number of warships in this single procurement contract was double the total fleet of the former Yavier Kingdom.

Following this, Princess Mi'er paid calls to several Five-Star Civilizations bordering the Yavier Empire. When massive piles of Star Light Silver cascaded down like small mountains, these Five-Star Civilizations, under the notarization of their top officials, signed agreements with the exiled empire...

Just as Mi’er was throwing Dahlia City into chaos, Gu Xiachen had already infiltrated the lair of the organization known as the Wolf Pack.

The Wolf Pack’s lair was situated on the edge of Dahlia City, nestled right against a corner of the transparent dome. Through the thick, clear alloy curtain, beyond lay a vast lake, bordered by a sea of purple-blue flowers blooming with breathtaking splendor, casting a violet-blue sheen over the Wolf Pack’s stronghold visible within.

It was an exquisitely manicured garden, dotted with countless men in tight black attire, standing silently at various points. Their sharp gazes constantly swept the surroundings. Every single man was a skilled practitioner, the weakest among them being four-star level or higher. Observing their movements, it was clear they had undergone extremely rigorous military training. Formidable individual strength combined with strict military discipline—this was an army possessing immense combat capability. Yet, before Gu Xiachen, all these defenses were nothing more than illusory hurdles.

Concealing every trace of his aura and form with the Seven Emotions and Six Desires Soul-Bewitching Talisman, Gu Xiachen strode into the Wolf Pack’s lair as if passing through an empty field. Following a covered walkway, he arrived before the entrance of a small building at the garden's core. Guarding the exquisite little structure were a full hundred cultivators at the peak of the Void Realm, their auras indicating a wide variety of cultivation methods—some righteous, some sinister, some Buddhist, some Daoist. Yet, like the men outside, they stood ramrod straight before the door, serving as the most ordinary sentinels.

Using an escape technique to slip into the small building, Gu Xiachen was aghast to discover that the ground-floor hall was guarded by twelve men whose cultivation reached the Taihuang Tiantian level. These men were clearly of higher status than the younger ones outside; they reclined lazily on sofas, savoring fine wine and engaging in desultory conversation.

After standing nearby and eavesdropping for a time, Gu Xiachen concluded their discussion was utterly pointless. Shaking his head, he ascended the stairs to the second floor.

The second floor housed a massive conference room. In the empty space stood a single round table made of raw timber. Seven young men dressed in long black robes were seated around it. Gu Xiachen counted; there were twenty-three chairs surrounding the table, meaning the Wolf Pack’s high command consisted of twenty-three members, with sixteen currently unaccounted for.

As Gu Xiachen entered the conference room, a faint screen of light illuminated the tabletop, displaying scenes of Princess Mi’er rushing about Dahlia City with her retinue. It even recorded Princess Mi’er submitting a request for protection from the Provisional Government to the Star Alliance High Council, and captured moments of her meeting with several five-star supreme envoys. The sheer detail of the compiled intelligence astonished even Gu Xiachen.

The seven men watched Mi’er’s actions with grim expressions. After a solid half-hour, one of the younger men lightly tapped the table: “One misstep leads to many. We underestimated this little woman.”

“But where did she acquire the funding? Our intelligence personnel never reported the Avier Empire moving such a colossal sum of restoration capital.”

Another young man stated coldly, “This shows our intelligence department’s failure. They must bear full responsibility for this oversight. I propose that all heads of intelligence concerning the Avier Empire be sent to the mines. Purely physical labor should clear their minds. If they survive ten years, they may return to work.”

All seven raised their hands in unison: “Agreed!”

Then, the first speaker tapped the tabletop again, his voice laced with worry: “So, how do we handle the current situation? Fat Wolf is useless. If he had killed that little woman yesterday instead of planning to sell her, this would all be over.”

Silence descended upon the room, lasting nearly a full minute, before one person spoke in a low voice: “The most critical thing now is to discover who has surfaced to support the Avier Empire. Could it be them?”

A visible tremor passed over everyone’s faces. After a long pause, someone hesitantly voiced a concern: “It shouldn’t be? After all, we had an agreement with them back then. Moreover, although our standing is lower than theirs, we have received acknowledgment of our familial bloodlines. If they were to interfere in our affairs without cause, they too would face retribution.”

Suddenly, someone anxiously interjected, “But what if they discovered the true purpose behind our actions? If they learn we were the ones behind the Avier Empire’s downfall, will they investigate our motives? If they uncover our ultimate objective…”

All seven instantly stood up. They exchanged glances and quickly finalized their course of action. First, they needed to notify the other Wolf Pack leaders, urging them to immediately intensify their operations within the Avier Empire. Next, they must deploy every available resource to obstruct Princess Mi’er’s restoration efforts, especially ensuring that the warships she ordered could not be delivered to her. Finally, they would dispatch numerous assassins to target Mi’er, simultaneously serving as a probe to gauge the background of Gu Xiachen and his group.

Their deliberation concluded, the seven exchanged a strange set of gestures and then departed the conference room one by one.

Gu Xiachen clung closely to one of the young men who appeared to hold a higher rank, following his luxury transport vehicle as it navigated Dahlia City for a time. When the vehicle passed through an open garden area, Gu Xiachen struck suddenly, knocking the young man unconscious, and casually shattered the transport vehicle into icy shards using the Taiyin Profound Pearl.

Carrying the captive youth, he found a densely wooded area and deposited him there. Gu Xiachen offered no explanation. With a mere touch to the young man’s brow, he prepared to employ the soul-searching and memory-extracting technique. But something astonishing happened: this young man, much like Ling and Mian, seemed to possess no discernible soul; all soul fluctuations were entirely fused with his physical body. The soul-searching method proved utterly ineffective against him.

The young man, his cultivation suppressed by Gu Xiachen’s Taiyin Qi, lay rigidly on the ground, glaring at Gu Xiachen and muttering curses: “Do you know what you are doing?”

Gu Xiachen slapped him across the face, then, refusing to believe it, cycled through several other demonic arts designed to seize souls and forcibly extract memories. But no matter how Gu Xiachen proceeded, he could not grasp the man’s soul and thus could read none of his memories.

The young man seemed to realize Gu Xiachen’s intent. He stuck out his tongue to lick the split corner of his mouth from the slap and laughed coldly: “Soul memory reading spells? Too bad. Such magic is useless against those of us who possess divine bloodlines. Surely your master never told you?”

With a wry smile, Gu Xiachen shook his head: “Then, what rotten luck. I truly didn't wish to resort to torture. Soul-searching, in fact, is quite a humane technique.”

Glancing with pity at the young man whose face had drastically changed color, Gu Xiachen casually tossed him into the Taiyin Profound Pearl. Simultaneously, he condensed a small landmass several li in circumference within the Pearl for the youth to inhabit. Then, Gu Xiachen selected a few of the fiercest-looking Celestial Soldiers from his Sea of Consciousness—some of whom had previously served as jailers in the Heavenly Prison—and sent them in after the captive.

Leaning back with his legs crossed amidst the flowers, Gu Xiachen waited less than half an hour before those Celestial Soldiers returned with a satisfactory report.

With a casual wave, Gu Xiachen flung the youth—now bruised, swollen, and contorted like a pretzel—onto the ground. Gu Xiachen smirked: “Zhi Duo’en? The illegitimate son of the Duo’en family?” Gu Xiachen felt a strange sense of irony regarding the surname; he had just dealt with Brothers Ling and Ci, and now another illegitimate son of the Duo’en family appeared.

Zhi Duo’en stared at Gu Xiachen with eyes full of desperate terror. Without any prompting from Gu Xiachen, he immediately spilled everything.

Zhi Duo’en, an illegitimate son of the Duo’en family, was the product of some powerful figure within the family indulging in carnal pleasures outside. He inherited the Duo’en bloodline and possessed a certain innate talent, yet he was never recognized by the old, conservative Duo’en clan. The family acknowledged his blood relation and provided him with some care and privilege, but they refused to place him on the family registry as a formal member.

In the private assessments of certain prominent Duo’en figures, illegitimate children like Zhi Duo’en were deemed flawed because their maternal lineage was insufficiently superior, resulting in a diluted bloodline that was unworthy of formal family membership.

As an illegitimate son enjoying the privileges bestowed by the family, Zhi Duo’en could move through Dahlia City with impunity. Five-star civilizations feared him, and six-star civilizations dared not offend him. He indulged in debauchery and lived a life of drunken ease, enjoying the Star Alliance’s highest level of luxury and acquiring almost anything he desired.

However, such bastards had their own woes, stemming from the legitimate, pure-blooded heirs of the Duo’en family. These lofty direct sons viewed illegitimate offspring like Zhi Duo’en as staining the family honor, a blemish upon the clan, and they were ashamed to share the same surname. Consequently, these legitimate sons intentionally or unintentionally suppressed and humiliated Zhi Duo’en through various channels.

After suffering considerable hardship and indignity, Zhi Duo’en and other illegitimate sons in similar situations banded together to form the Wolf Pack. The Wolf Pack, boasting hundreds of thousands of members, was composed entirely of children hidden behind the starry gates of powerful, secretive families. The highest-ranking among them, the twenty-three 'Head Wolves' including Zhi Duo’en, all originated from the most influential and powerful clans, such as the Duo’en family.

In Zhi Duo’en’s own words, they were a collective of fighters unwilling to submit to fate, rising up to resist an unfair destiny.

Of course, in Gu Xiachen’s eyes, they were merely a group of little devils harboring dark intentions and immense ambition, striving to secretly build their own power base to eventually usurp the families backing them. Due to the complex maneuvers among the Star Alliance elite, the Wolf Pack had been running rampant in Dahlia City since its inception. Many envoys from high-level civilizations, after suffering at their hands, began to forge tacit alliances with them, allowing the Wolf Pack’s periphery forces to infiltrate these advanced civilizations, whereupon they began to taste the sweetness of power.

The current situation stemmed from the Wolf Pack coercing three five-star civilizations to coordinate in overthrowing the Avier Empire through a combined strategy of sneak attack and betrayal.

The reason the Wolf Pack targeted the Avier Empire was simple: they sought to establish an empire of their own, coveting the Avier territories. They were drawn to the Avier Empire because their exploration teams had accidentally discovered a top-secret jump channel within the territory, leading to an ancient ruin from which they had already retrieved numerous treasures.

To substantiate his claims, Zhi Duo’en spat from his mouth a short sword, less than an inch and two fen long, as thin as an embroidery needle. The moment this short sword touched the open air, it transformed, blossoming into a shimmering, first-rate flying sword a foot and two cun long. Gu Xiachen lightly pressed his finger against the blade, and his fingertip immediately registered a stinging pain, drawing a bead of blood from his broken skin.

This was an Immortal Sword of above-average quality. The person who forged it must possess at least the cultivation level of Taiming Yu or Wantian—a second-grade Celestial Immortal—otherwise, this sword could not have wounded the current Gu Xiachen.

“A fine treasure,” Gu Xiachen remarked, smoothly tucking the sword into his Qinglian Ring. He then grinned and began to vigorously shake Zhi Duo’en by the neck.

Vast currents of Taiyin and Taiyang Qi surged into Zhi Duo’en’s body. The two streams frantically scoured his form, pulling out over a dozen hidden Immortal Artifacts, including various swords, spears, and halberds. Gu Xiachen, showing no hesitation, collected these artifacts into his Qinglian Ring before tossing the youth back onto the ground.

Zhi Duo’en’s face contorted. He glared furiously at Gu Xiachen and shouted, “You robber!”

Gu Xiachen placed a boot squarely on Zhi Duo’en’s face and chuckled, “I’m only robbing you. We don’t go around robbing entire empires!”

Shaking his head, Gu Xiachen smiled slowly, “If I were to inform your families behind you that you are planning to establish your own faction to replace them, do you think that would be amusing? In order to safeguard their legitimate status, I wonder, would your irresponsible fathers not erase you?”

Zhi Duo’en’s face instantly darkened. He trembled and collapsed onto the ground, his eyes glazed over and devoid of light.

Gu Xiachen sighed. These pampered young masters had woefully weak resilience. Just like Ling and Qiao back then, they were reduced to this state by fear.

Looking at these spoiled sons, dealing with the Elder Council might not be so difficult after all.

Gu Xiachen narrowed his eyes, crouching down beside Zhi Duo’en with a pleasant smile. He suggested earnestly, “How about this: join my team, become my subordinate. Don’t you all want to replace your paternal clans? I have no fondness for the Elder Council either. Why don’t we eliminate them together?”

Zhi Duo’en stared up at Gu Xiachen and asked in a low voice, “And if I refuse?”

Gu Xiachen unflinchingly produced an Immortal Artifact-grade great axe, deliberately choosing an oversized one with a blade nearly a meter long. He rested the axe edge against Zhi Duo’en’s neck and stated plainly, “If you refuse, I will cleave you in two with one swing.”

Zhi Duo’en immediately nodded frantically: “Deal! As long as you are truly serious about opposing them, absolutely no problem!”

He paused, then added mournfully, “But… you still need to convince my companions!”

Gu Xiachen smiled broadly and nodded. He reached out and helped Zhi Duo’en up: “Not a problem at all. I will use the same methods to convince them!”

With a strange smile, Gu Xiachen plucked a lock of hair from Zhi Duo’en’s head, bundled it haphazardly, and stuffed it into the Qinglian Ring.

Zhi Duo’en asked in alarm, “What are you doing taking my hair?”

Gu Xiachen looked at him with feigned innocence: “To control you, naturally! With your hair, I can use the Puppet Evil Arts on you. When you become disobedient, I can kill you from a great distance! As an ally, I must naturally prepare some contingencies for our covenant!”

Zhi Duo’en’s face turned ashen, looking as if he had just swallowed a large chunk of excrement.