“Since the dawn of time, the fundamental nature of beings—be they sacred Buddhas, celestial deities, or the lowliest mortal ant—has remained utterly unchanged! How many have been ruined by the single vice of greed?” Watching the high-ranking members of the Star Alliance, led by Yan Long, stride into the valley, along with nearly ten thousand cultivators from various great families and six-star civilizations, the Ten Heavenly Monarchs, including Qin Tianjun, sighed in unison. Immediately, ten azure streams of immortal light shot up from the surrounding forests—the Ten Absolute Formations were fully activated.

Golden light, blood, red sand, and profound ice crisscrossed the void. The booming noise of surging energy instantly knocked nearly a thousand of the weakest Star Alliance cultivators unconscious. A resounding chime echoed from the Soul-Losing Formation.

All cultivators beside Yan Long and his cohorts whose cultivation was below the Fourth Grade of Heavenly Immortal instantly rolled their eyes back and slumped to the ground. The souls of every cultivator who was not a Blood Fasting Sect member were violently jolted from their bodies by that single chime and sucked into a black gourd, the size of a fist, resting atop the formation, where they were suppressed. Their physical bodies were lifted by gusts of wind mixed with red sand, swept into the middle layers of the Red Sand Formation diagram, and enveloped.

The red sand infiltrated their seven orifices and every pore, sealing the circulation of all jingqi within them. The other Blood Descendant brothers were also affected by the chime from the Soul-Losing Formation. Although their souls remained perfectly still within their bodies, a wisp of ash-white vapor drilled out of their seven orifices.

Their True Spirits—the spark controlling their daily actions and thought—were shaken loose by the chime and also drawn into the black gourd for suppression. Gu Xiechen’s Soul-Searching and Spirit-Siphoning technique had no effect on these descendants of the Elder Council, but the Primordial Supreme Treasures brought from another universe proved remarkably effective against these Blood Descendant brothers! Although the chime in the Soul-Losing Formation did not pull their entire souls out, it successfully extracted their True Spirits!

Yan Long and the other three highest-ranking Star Alliance leaders cried out in alarm. Just as they managed to gather the few remaining powerful cultivators around them, preparing for a desperate last stand, various brilliant lights swept out from within the Ten Absolute Formations. Ten Supreme Treasures vibrated simultaneously.

They hadn't even truly launched an attack; the mere residual shockwaves from the artifacts vibrating were enough to knock Yan Long and the others unconscious. The chime sounded again in the Soul-Losing Formation. The souls of the now-fainted Yan Long and the others were ripped out, and their True Spirits were also suppressed within the Red Sand Formation diagram.

The Heavenly Monarchs quickly rushed into the valley, pulled up all the long spears, halberds, and other implements, stowed them in their storage artifacts, and departed the scene at top speed. By the time a massive fleet—composed of two Dead Star Ships and two thousand White Wing-class warships—arrived over the valley, it was completely empty. Not a single strand of hair remained.

Just as the Ten Absolute Formations were capturing the high command of the Star Alliance, Gu Xiechen, along with Du Guohua and others, had already stormed to the exterior of the Pyramid Assembly Hall where the crystal quota meeting was being held. Lacking the support of masters like Yan Long, the defenses here were like thin paper to Gu Wuchen and his group; they could be shredded with ease. With the Ten Absolute Formations waiting for Yan Long and the others in the valley, Gu Wuchen felt no concern that they could rush back to impede his plans.

The terrifying reputation of the Ten Absolute Formations echoed across the Three Realms in ancient times. Although the current Ten Heavenly Monarchs were far weaker than their predecessors, with the ten Supreme Treasures Gu Xiechen provided them for suppression, the Ten Absolute Formations were more than capable of handling Yan Long and his faction. Gu Xiechen, Du Guohua, Han Ba, Ducart, and Lily formed a line before the three giant towers.

At Gu Xiechen’s command, the Four Generals of Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning transformed into streaks of spiritual light and shot skyward. Driven by their potent origin divine power, vast water clouds suddenly gathered beneath the massive dome of Dahlia City. The white clouds rapidly turned into black thunderheads, and bolts of lightning roiled and churned between the clouds.

Accompanied by deafening roars, thousands of electrical serpents haphazardly blasted toward the ground. How long had the residents of Dahlia City gone without witnessing lightning and thunder at such close range? As the thunderclouds pressed down, the Star Alliance guards near the towers simply stared blankly at the sky, none able to react correctly in time.

The lightning snakes, as if possessing sentience, accurately struck every exposed guard. With a single howl of agony, the thousands of guards near the towers were all reduced to wisps of blue smoke. A sharp alarm suddenly blared from within the towers.

But the shrill, piercing alarm ceased after only one sound. Ducart and Xiao Xiao, working in tandem, had already taken control of every electronic system in Dahlia City. All external exits of Dahlia City were sealed, and all automated defensive weapons within the city were activated.

Soldiers from the elite Star Alliance units stationed in the city watched in horror as the battle vehicles, fighter jets, and even small reconnaissance drones beside them suddenly sprung to life, opening fire simultaneously and riddling the soldiers standing inches away with holes. In the blink of an eye, Dahlia City was completely under the control of Ducart and Xiao Xiao. Only one outward passage remained open in the entire city.

The Emperor of the Blazing Dragon Empire, Chi Long Lieyan, along with the little princess Mier and Princess Yawei, and all the officials from the Ya Bang’er Empire stationed at the Star Alliance headquarters, were cheerfully exiting Dahlia City through this passage. They quickly boarded a high-speed battleship of the Blazing Dragon Empire, left Davirmus City, and transferred at the orbital spaceport outside Davirmus to Chi Long Lieyan’s flagship, the Dead Star Ship Blazing Dragon Star. Escorted by a large contingent of warships, the Blazing Dragon Star sped back toward the Blazing Dragon Empire at maximum velocity.

After Chi Long Lieyan and his entourage departed Davirmus, the only remaining external exit of Dahlia City was completely sealed. The city’s communication system began broadcasting the latest announcement from the Supreme Committee of the Star Alliance on repeat: Due to the infiltration of powerful enemies, all commercial activities in Davirmus were completely suspended; no one was permitted to leave Davirmus until the perpetrators of the massacre at the Ru’er Fa Family banquet were apprehended or surrendered! This excuse was logical and reasonable.

What happened in the Great Hall of the Ru’er Fa Family had already spread throughout Davirmus and even reached the capitals of the various six-star civilizations. Such ruthlessly efficient and malevolent fugitives were indeed a massive threat to everyone; sealing the city to capture them was the expected action. “You are too shameless!” Jiao Meier, held in Han Ba’s grasp, slowly woke up and weakly cursed Gu Xiechen.

Du Guohua, who had just regained a sliver of vitality, glared at her immediately. Adopting the expression of a stingy landlord, he snapped, “Shut your mouth and look at your situation! Understand your current status first!” Lily patted Jiao Meier’s exquisite face with a hint of pity.

She advised softly, “Du Guohua is a big villain. Even though you aren't a saint, falling into his hands means you should obey. Otherwise, you will suffer greatly.

Be careful; this fellow can be quite perverse sometimes!” Hearing Lily’s words, Du Guohua became slightly displeased. He glared at Lily, about to demand an explanation for her remark, but Gu Xiechen had no time to waste. As soon as Ducart and Xiao Xiao gained control of all electronic systems in Davirmus, he quietly gave the order, leading his group charging toward the tower directly ahead.

Dozens of Star Alliance guards remained inside the tower, but facing the ferocious charge of Gu Xiechen’s group, these guards were like mantises attempting to stop a chariot wheel—they were instantly crushed to dust. Without the slightest hesitation, they arrived aggressively in the secret chamber on the lowest level of the tower. A short-range, fixed-point teleportation device was also set up here.

Ducart immediately stepped forward, familiar with the setup, and activated the device. The group stepped onto the platform shimmering with a faint blue light. The next instant, they were all transmitted into a massive artificial cavern deep underground.

This was an underground cavern over twenty kilometers long and wide, and ten kilometers high. The vast space was reinforced with thick alloy steel. As far as the eye could see, everything was smooth, ice-like metallic surfaces of a pale gray color.

Beneath their feet was a blue-glowing fixed-point teleportation platform, and on the cavern wall directly ahead of them was a bizarrely shaped doorway, hundreds of meters tall but only about ten meters wide. Suspended before the gateway, cast from an unknown, pale cyan alloy, were three crystal spheres several meters in diameter, upon which floated three intense masses of light. Gazing at the three intense lights and the vaguely discernible figures within the light masses, Gu Xiechen suddenly smiled: “Are the three of you the Grand Dragon Envoys who anchor the Star Alliance for the Elder Council?” The three masses of light, which had been swirling like water waves, suddenly paused.

A hoarse, unpleasant voice echoed from afar: “There is a traitor within the Star Alliance! Who informed you of our intelligence?” Gu Xiechen spread his hands, smiling faintly, “There’s no need to tell you, because you are all doomed!” As Gu Xiechen laughed, the Four Generals of the Mo family, the Five Brothers of Xin Jia, and others emerged from sudden flashes of purple light. Mo Liqing threw his head back and laughed heartily: “Brothers, the Heaven-Net Great Formation!” “Ha!

Ha! Ha!” Three consecutive cheers erupted. Over one hundred thousand Celestial Soldiers and Generals, following formations drilled into them for countless years, circled in scattered groups.

Patches of white cloud rose from beneath their feet. They ascended high into the air, and the Heaven-Net Great Formation, which once shook the Three Realms under the ancient Heavenly Court, was arrayed. One hundred and eight Boundless Divine Chains, trailing colored light, danced across the sky, weaving an inescapable net above and below them.

The other one hundred thousand Celestial Soldiers and Generals were adorned with, or held, or stood upon immortal artifacts sourced from the Palace of Heavenly Craftsmanship. Each one was high-spirited and bristling with killing intent. The combined glow emitted by tens of thousands of immortal artifacts illuminated the entire cavern in a dazzling, multi-colored spectacle.

The three masses of light trembled, and they simultaneously shrieked. The brilliant light contracted inward, and three identical, overwhelmingly beautiful figures appeared before the crowd. They were clad in black scale-armor that seemed fashioned from some kind of hide, wielding sharp swords ground from some black beast’s horn.

Sharp killing intent flashed in their slightly reddened eyes as they glared viciously toward the assembly. Behind them, four massive fleshy wings unfolded, slowly stirring, stirring up a subtle vortex of wind. “Go!” Gu Xiechen muttered, waving his hand forward.

The Heaven-Net Great Formation immediately surged forward with lightning speed, about to envelop the three women. Gu Xiechen chuckled softly, “Zero and the others were indeed honest; they even confessed the identities of the three Grand Dragon Envoys managing the Elder Council’s internal affairs within the Star Alliance. It seems Yan Long and the others are merely in charge of the Star Alliance's daily administrative affairs.

The ones truly controlling the Elder Council’s absolute power within the Star Alliance are these three women!” Du Guohua’s gaze swept over the three women’s fiery figures, and he swallowed hard. “They look good, but I have an instinct that touching any of these three will result in extreme regret!” Gu Xiechen glanced at Du Guohua in surprise and chuckled dismissively. His divine sense swept over the three beauties, and he discovered what made their bodies different from ordinary beings.

These three were androgynous beings, possessing complete dual-sex reproductive systems within their bodies, capable of self-propagation. Furthermore, an intensely strong life aura emanated from their Yin aspects, along with a disturbing, bizarre energy. This energy resided within their reproductive systems, but its exact function remained unclear.

He quietly shared his findings with Du Guohua, whose expression instantly turned ugly. He spat forcefully onto the ground, but in the next moment, his mood brightened again. He casually swung his legs, boasting smugly to Ducart beside him about how prudent and sagacious he was to instantly recognize that these three women—no, these three ‘transvestites’—were not right!

The Three Grand Dragon Envoys seemed unaware of the terrifying power of the Heaven-Net Great Formation. They merely glanced coldly at the overwhelming formation advancing on them and proactively stepped onto the massive crystal spheres beneath their feet, charging right into the array. As soon as they entered, they swung their dark, faintly bioluminescent swords and unleashed wave after wave of crescent-shaped sword qi, extending dozens of feet, in all directions.

The sword qi was incredibly sharp, and each ray vibrated violently, tearing the air apart. The vibration even shredded the sound waves accompanying the sword qi, meaning that as this ferocious energy shot outward, the observers heard absolutely no noise. Various lights spun within the Heaven-Net Great Formation as sheets of the net woven from Boundless Divine Chains fell upon the Three Grand Dragon Envoys.

The sword qi struck the chains, causing them to swing wildly and spray sparks, but the formation remained unshaken. If one chain was deflected, another, ten chains, or a hundred chains wielding countless Primordial Five Elements, lightning, and thunder, rushed forward from all directions, tightly binding the Three Grand Dragon Envoys within the formation. The ten thousand-plus Celestial Soldiers and Generals were hidden within the white mist and auspicious clouds everywhere.

They executed various incantations, either firing sword light or unleashing lightning magic at the three envoys, or assisting Xin Jia and the others in controlling the Boundless Divine Chains, causing wave after wave of chains to endlessly wrap around the three envoys. The entire formation behaved like an incredibly tough, sticky piece of taffy; no matter how the three envoys struggled, they could not break free. Compared to other famous ancient formations, the Heaven-Net Great Formation possessed a distinct characteristic.

It lacked the terrifying destructive power of the legendary Immortal Slaying Sword Formation, the grand scale of the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, the profound subtlety of the Nine Bends Yellow River Formation, or the ruthless, sharp, and unpredictable nature of the Ten Absolute Formations... However, the Heaven-Net Great Formation was the one used by the ancient Heavenly Court to rule the Three Realms. Among the factors of heavenly timing, earthly advantage, and human harmony, this formation excelled in the subtle art of 'human harmony' (renhe).

By converging the strength of countless Celestial Soldiers and Generals and the power of their immortal artifacts into a single entity, the Heaven-Net Great Formation could be said to have the strongest resilience and greatest sustained combat capability in the Three Realms. Ancient formations like the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation were better suited for small-scale duels among immortals, whereas the Heaven-Net Great Formation was unequivocally a Heavenly Court military formation—a battle array used to govern, wage war, and intimidate the four directions of the Heavenly Court. Thus, the subtlety of this formation lay in the principles of 'Entanglement' (chan) and 'Sealing' (feng).

Entanglement: Tangling you so you cannot escape the formation, stirring up internal frustration and anger, yet you can never overcome this formation. Sealing: Cutting off all spiritual energy between heaven and earth, preventing any absorption of lingqi within the formation to replenish what is spent. Currently, the Three Grand Dragon Envoys were facing this annoying situation.

No matter how fiercely they attacked, even deploying every skill they possessed, the Heaven-Net Great Formation slowly, unhurriedly, and unceasingly rotated and shifted, gradually moving the three women to the center of the array, slowly eroding and decomposing their attacks inch by inch, and slowly draining their strength bit by bit. The spiritual energy within the formation was rapidly depleted. In just three to five breaths of time, not a single wisp of lingqi could be drawn in from within the array.

Gu Xiechen clapped his hands and laughed aloud. The Three Grand Dragon Envoys were enveloped by the Heaven-Net Great Formation, which was now swirling into a ball in mid-air. The group proceeded toward the huge portal ahead without any disturbance.

Their pace was swift, and they soon arrived before the immense doorway. The pale cyan alloy door blended seamlessly with the surrounding cavern walls, revealing no hint of a seam. Carved onto the door with bold, rough strokes was a vividly depicted giant dragon with three heads and twelve wings.

The dragon’s three heads were coiled together in the center of the doorway, glaring ferociously at Gu Wuchen and the others standing before the gate. With a sweep of his wide sleeve, a torrent of water blasted toward the door. After a muffled roar, the door remained motionless.

The white torrent shattered against the gate, and the recoil bounced Gu Wuchen far back. Clambering up in disarray, Gu Xiechen chuckled awkwardly: “This door seems a bit hard to open?” Han Ba snorted, refusing to believe it. She turned and unleashed her signature Corpse God Immortal Slaying Thunder toward the door.

The spindle-shaped thunderbolt struck the door only to reflect back as if hitting a mirror, slamming directly into the astonished Han Ba’s chest. The thunderlight exploded, and Han Ba groaned, thrown back seven or eight kilometers. A mouthful of blood sprayed from her mouth, and a fist-sized hole was blasted open in her chest, exposing her very heart.

Stunned for a moment, Han Ba awkwardly rose and smiled: “It seems… it really is somewhat miraculous!” Du Guohua frowned. He suddenly roared and manifested his Flying Yaksha true form. His body swelled to nearly three meters tall, and his stout physique shimmered with golden light.

The two fleshy wings on his back flapped vigorously. Du Guohua swung his two wine-jar-sized fists fiercely toward the door. Now elevated to the Heavenly Immortal realm, Du Guohua’s flesh and bone were like vajra.

His pure brute strength was enough to overturn mountains and overturn seas. If his fists landed solidly, even a landmass would be shattered by the impact. Another huge crash sounded.

Du Guohua’s two fists struck the door in quick succession. “Aoo-aoo!” Du Guohua cried out in agony, violently thrown back over ten kilometers. Two streams of bloody tears plopped down his face.

The immense recoil shattered his finger bones, then his palm bones, and then a whole chain of bones from his arm to his shoulder cracked and splintered. Finally, two rows of his ribs were also shattered, with several broken pieces piercing several vital organs, sending stars spinning before his eyes and nearly causing him to faint from the agony. While zombies certainly possessed incredibly resilient bodies, the more robust the body, the more brutal the pain upon injury, and the more difficult the recovery.

For the bone fractures Du Guohua sustained, if he relied solely on his own cultivation to heal, it would take at least several hundred years to repair. This is why ordinary immortals dread unforeseen battles and injuries, as the damage sustained by an immortal is often catastrophic, requiring hundreds or thousands of years to recover. However, Du Guohua had his methods.

He rubbed his two feet together, pulled off his boots and socks, and agilely swung his right leg up near his neck. His nimble toes grasped the Netherworld Fan, and with a gentle flick, a five-colored, half-spotted, deer-horned, ruby-red Sika Deer bolted out of the fan in panic. But before the deer could get its bearings, the ferocious Du Guohua pounced on it, driving his four long tusks deep into the creature’s neck.

Alas for this deer! It had been nourished within the original body of the Netherworld Fan—an ancient immortal artifact screen—for unknown years. Its jingqi was vast and boundless, comparable to a high-grade Immortal.

However, constrained by the restrictions within the ancient screen, the creatures nurtured inside were unable to achieve sentience or cultivate independently. Thus, although their jingqi was immense, it was raw potential without corresponding skills or magic, possessing only longevity and immense strength. Facing the savage Du Guohua, this unlucky spirit deer could only have all its jingqi sucked dry, reducing it to a withered corpse.

Having plundered every last ounce of vital energy from the spirit deer, a series of sharp crackling sounds erupted from within Guo Hua's body. His damaged bones and muscles rapidly restored themselves, returning to normal within moments. Even the vital energy he had expended controlling Jiao Mei'er through three malicious Kui Curses was fully replenished; the sheer magnitude of energy contained within that spirit deer was staggering.

With an equally awkward smile plastered on his face, Guo Hua sauntered back to the massive gate. He reached out, touched the cold surface, and sighed with resignation, "No use, it won't budge!"

After a period of silence, Ducat strode forward with heavy steps to the gate. A silvery liquid seeped from his body, instantly coating his form in a layer of metallic armor nearly three inches thick. The configuration of this armor was exceptionally bizarre: the leg casings were massively reinforced, essentially appearing as two solid, square blocks of iron. These heavy ingots struck the ground with a thud, conveying an illusion of unshakeable, Mount Tai-like stability.

Ducat's gauntlets, however, had transformed into colossal casings. Two circular metal plates, each nearly a meter in diameter, had replaced his hands, and they were covered in countless densely packed, pliable metal vanes. Under Ducat's control, these vanes could generate an astonishingly powerful attractive force.

He placed his hands firmly against the smooth door and pressed down with immense force. A faint hissing sound ensued as the two metal discs locked onto the gate with tremendous suction. Ducat roared, pouring every ounce of his strength into hauling upwards, attempting to lift the door—having witnessed Gu Xiechen and the others fail to breach it repeatedly, Ducat instinctively judged that this gate did not swing inward, but was a type that required upward lifting.

A wave of pure physical power, even slightly surpassing Guo Hua's brute strength, erupted from Ducat's arms. This force derived not only from his formidable physique but also from the amplification provided by his Floating Cloud Flowing Water Armor. Under this battle armor’s enhancement, Ducat now received a seventy percent power boost. Thus, despite his cultivation level being far inferior to Guo Hua's, the raw power he unleashed was significantly greater. If a continent lay before Ducat now, he could, with effort, flip it over.

Crack! Fissures suddenly webbed across the alloy floor beneath Ducat's feet. A terrifying opposing force surged from the gate—a violent downward blow directly counteracting Ducat’s upward thrust. Horrifying snapping sounds echoed from Ducat's arms; his muscles and bones were shredded, and with a muffled groan, he collapsed to his knees. This recoil force was too fierce, too swift; not only were his limbs torn apart, but his internal organs also suffered severe shockwaves.

Lily cried out and lunged forward, quickly expelling a wide cloud of verdant vital energy to heal Ducat. Hazy emerald mist poured into Ducat’s body as faint wisps of flame rose from his arms. Ducat retracted the Floating Cloud Flowing Water Armor; he was drenched in sweat, and the perspiration seeping from his skin was pale crimson, laced with traces of clotted blood.

Accompanied by subtle sounds, Ducat's arms, nearly reduced to mush, swiftly regenerated. In the time it takes to brew half a cup of tea, he had regained full strength and stood up.

"A most troublesome portal; it cannot be opened!" Ducat vigorously shook his head.

A squeaking sound followed as Xiao’s three clones bounded forward. Hundreds of slender wires snaked out from their rhinoceros-like mechanical chassis, gliding lightly over the gate like the tongues of lovers. Fine sparks spat from the tips of the wires, and in the blink of an eye, they had swept across the entire surface.

"Let me try!" Xiao nodded with conviction, then placed several pitch-black bombs before the door.

These bombs lacked significant physical destructive power; their detonation generated an extremely potent electromagnetic pulse (EMP). According to Xiao's calculations, an EMP of this magnitude could instantly destroy the hardware and software of any standard Star Alliance primary control super-brain. If the gate was controlled by such a system, it would certainly sustain catastrophic damage.

The group retreated a few steps. Xiao laughed loudly a few times and remotely detonated the bombs.

A barely visible, ethereal blue shockwave slammed into the door. In an instant, dazzling, comet-like electrical discharges erupted from the gate, shining brilliantly. These shockwaves behaved as if sentient, specifically targeting Xiao’s three clones. Startled into a shriek, Xiao turned and fled in clumsy disarray.

Gu Yuchen snorted coldly and moved to shield Xiao’s rear. The Haotian Mirror slowly rose above his head. These EMP surges struck the mirror, eliciting only faint sparks, yet they were completely absorbed and vanished. Gu Yuchen spat out a mouthful of origin vitality onto the mirror, then glared at the gate and roared, "All laws can be broken! Open!"

A five-colored brilliant light spewed from the surface of the Haotian Mirror, swiftly coalescing into a stream of azure light as thick as a water vat, shooting toward the gate ahead.

Where the azure light met the cyan portal, a massive shower of blue sparks erupted. Amidst sizzling and fracturing sounds, the light projected by the Haotian Mirror began to peel back a layer from the gate. The three giant dragons etched onto the door stirred as if alive, their roars echoing, and scales began manifesting all over the portal. As the entire surface became covered in armor plating, a vast, hideous, distorted face thrust itself out from the gate, snarling fiercely at Gu Yuchen’s party.

Gu Yuchen snorted again, continuously spitting his origin vitality onto the Haotian Mirror, urging forth an even stronger beam of azure light toward the door. The distorted face shrieked in agony, twisting and struggling madly, attempting to shove its visage fully out of the portal to take a savage bite out of Gu Yuchen. However, the azure light generated by the Haotian Mirror could shatter all creation, and every single strand of that light was heavier than Mount Tai. No matter how the face writhed and roared, it could not break free, held pinned against the door by the overwhelming force.

After all, it was the Haotian Mirror; its inherent property of piercing through all prohibitions was utterly overwhelming. Although its current power had diminished by untold magnitudes compared to before, it was like using a knife to slice tofu—whether using a chef’s knife or a broken shard, the result was still a clean cut. Under the assault of the Haotian Mirror, the seemingly indestructible gate gradually dissolved and disintegrated, revealing a massive hole several meters in diameter.

Gu Yuchen murmured thoughtfully, "So emotion is a living thing. This gate is a living thing; no wonder it possesses such miraculous attributes."

The scene where scales suddenly surfaced on the gate’s exterior and a huge face emerged was strikingly similar to the condition when the Elders’ Council members activated their bloodline transformations. Gu Yuchen immediately understood: this gate was a gate-shaped descendant of the Elders’ Council bloodline; he just couldn't fathom how it had assumed this form.

Regardless of how it took the shape of a gate, or how it accrued such formidable defenses, a gate remained a gate, and it had been breached by the Haotian Mirror.

Perhaps overly confident in the might of the Three Great Dragon Emissaries and the defensive strength of a portal a hundred meters thick, they believed the Star Alliance Headquarters’ vast strategic reserve vault lay beyond.

Piles of rare materials, many of them Innate Grade.

Heaps of Zakla crystals, tributes from various six-star civilizations and other high-tier powers.

Mountains of Divine Crystal shards, allocated by the Elders’ Council for the Star Alliance to internally stabilize the strength of its constituent families and power the associated warships.

Stacks of unrecognizable ancient relics and bizarre artifacts, many of which made even the Drought Demon’s eyes gleam with covetousness. These included ancient, esoteric magical artifacts that only a select few could refine, priceless treasures so rare that even Innate Star Sovereigns had rarely seen them, and utterly bizarre objects that even the Drought Demon couldn't identify—truly strange items sourced, one could only guess, from the farthest corners of the cosmos by the civilizations under the Star Alliance's control.

This strategic reserve vault was enormous, frighteningly so, built by excavating the underbelly of the entire continental plate upon which Dahlia City rested. Furthermore, the vault had undergone more than fifty spatial compressions and overlays, amplifying its already immense volume.

The sheer quantity of stored rare metal ingots could not compare to the countless piles Xiao had mined from that quarry. However, in terms of grade, a hundred of Xiao’s mining operations combined could not match the rare metals contained in this single vault. The lofty Star Alliance naturally only collected the highest-grade, supreme materials for deposit here.

What angered Gu Yuchen and his companions, however, was that nearly half the space was dedicated to storing innumerable bars of pure silver. Silver truly lived up to its reputation as the Star Alliance’s most elusive precious metal and standard currency; even the headquarters housed massive quantities of silver ingots. This infuriated Gu Yuchen. What were they even going to do with this stuff? Use it as ammunition?

Gnash-toothed, staring at the boundless expanse of the nearly three-hundred-kilometer-high mountain of white silver, Gu Yuchen roared hoarsely, "Empty this entire place... These short-sighted fools! Look at what they hoard! Silver! What use is that junk?"

Under Gu Yuchen's furious insistence, Guo Hua and the others swiftly began loading everything in the vault into their storage artifacts.

Gu Yuchen also hurriedly stuffed everything before him into the Grand Yin Profound Pearl. There were simply too many treasures, so many that even the well-traveled Drought Demon kept swallowing hard.

"Dust!"

Unfortunately, the intelligence gathered from Zero and Zhi was identical: every millennium, the Star Alliance would send a significant portion of the strategic reserves and collected 'delicacies' and 'antiquities' as tribute to the true Elders’ Council. Only three hundred years had passed since the last tribute, meaning the good stuff in this vault was substantially depleted.

"When I get authority, when I get power, and when I have one hundred or two hundred thousand Daluo Golden Immortals as my subordinates, I’ll flatten the Elders’ Council and loot everything they have!" Guo Hua snarled, furiously plundering the surroundings while shouting curses.

Gu Yuchen, the Drought Demon, and Jiao Mei'er, standing nearby, nearly collapsed. One or two hundred thousand Daluo Golden Immortals? Guo Hua was talking nonsense! In the prime of the Heavenly Court, even including the disciples of the Three Daoist Sages, the total number of Daluo Golden Immortals didn't reach a hundred. Including the disciples of the great divine powers across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, the entire Three Realms had no more than one hundred and fifty Daluo Golden Immortals combined!

One or two hundred thousand Daluo Golden Immortals? Perhaps in the new universe the Heavenly Court invaded? Impossible in this universe!

Even in the current Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, even accounting for surviving ancient Daluo Golden Immortals and newly ascended ones, the number of Demon Kings and Immortal Sovereigns reigning supreme was small. Each of the Ten Directions Hells housed only four or five of the most formidable overlords—a clear indicator of how lofty and rare the Daluo Golden Immortal rank was.

Shaking his head, Gu Yuchen sighed at Guo Hua murmuring to himself, then pulled out the chip containing spatial coordinates that Yan Long had given him.

Seeing that nearly a thousand kilometers of clear space had been cleared in the strategic vault, Gu Yuchen quickly activated the chip.

A vast, surging power poured out from the chip. The space before Gu Yuchen suddenly warped, revealing a pitch-black, profoundly deep passage. Accompanied by a dull roar, a Dead Starship drifted out of the spatial tunnel. Gu Yuchen swiftly absorbed it into the Grand Yin Profound Pearl. Then came another Dead Starship, which Gu Yuchen quickly collected as well.

One hundred Grand Yin Profound Pearls, three hundred White Wing production lines—it took Gu Yuchen an entire day to receive everything, leaving him nearly collapsed from exhaustion. Dealing with a complete Dead Starship was easy; one suction from the Grand Yin Profound Pearl swallowed it whole. But the fragmented White Wing warship production lines, which included the equipment and blueprints for hundreds of large processing plants, left Gu Yuchen scrambling. Each production line had to be deposited into the Grand Yin Profound Pearl in the exact sequence it was transmitted, which severely tested Gu Yuchen’s mental faculties.

The more he received of these warships and equipment, the more uneasy Gu Yuchen felt.

What kind of power did the Elders’ Council wield, that they could casually open a temporary star gate channel with a pre-made spatial positioning chip and transmit such immense quantities of warships and equipment all at once? This level of power was beyond Gu Yuchen’s current comprehension and capability.

Originally, Gu Yuchen had considered venturing to "that place" mentioned by Zero and Zhi for reconnaissance, but after personally experiencing the Elders’ Council’s unbelievable strength, he firmly suppressed the notion.

After a full day and night, the vast strategic reserve vault of the Star Alliance Headquarters, Davilmus, was completely stripped bare, so clean that even a cockroach would starve inside.

Gu Yuchen and his party left the vault contentedly. Before departing, Gu Yuchen placed a set of God-Grade energy exciters, fabricated by Ducat based on the White Wing standard, inside the vault, piling nearly a hundred human-head-sized Grade Two Divine Crystals on top.

Once activated, the instantaneous burst of God-Grade energy would unleash a destructive force equivalent to nearly a hundred Low-Rank Celestial Immortals, enough to utterly devastate the entirety of Davilmus. As the core of this trinary star system, the destruction of Davilmus would mean the annihilation of this entire star region. The three out-of-control stars would either collapse inward or fly scattering outward. Regardless of the outcome, the runaway stars would inflict devastating damage on neighboring regions.

A vicious, scorched-earth tactic, but undeniably effective.

With the exception of the emperors of the Polaris Empire and the Blazing Dragon Empire, the core leadership of the other twenty-four six-star civilizations were either on Davilmus or had already been captured alive by the Ten Absolute Formations. Once this core was destroyed, the entire Star Alliance would immediately descend into chaos, and the pressure on the Yafik Empire would instantly drop to virtually zero!

Especially since the Three Great Dragon Emissaries who had ordered Zero and his brothers to attack the Yafik Empire were currently trapped by the Heaven's Net Formation. Without them stirring up trouble from the rear, the Yafik Empire was set to enjoy an extended period of peace and prosperity. This time would be sufficient for Gu Yuchen to develop enough power to confront the Star Alliance.

Three hundred White Wing warship production lines—these were not merely for show.

Stepping out of the thoroughly cleaned-out strategic reserve, Gu Yuchen once again summoned the Grand Yin Profound Pearl. At the command of the demonic Four Generals who controlled the great formation, the vast Heaven's Net Formation was obediently drawn into the Pearl by the Yin energy. The Dragon Emissaries, trapped within the formation, offered no resistance and were helplessly drawn into the Grand Yin Profound Pearl along with it. Now, Gu Yuchen had no fear of them breaking free.

The party happily departed the vault and rendezvoused with the Ten Heavenly Sovereigns who were wandering around Dahlia City.

Over the past two days, the bored Ten Heavenly Sovereigns had secretly re-erected the Ten Absolute Formations and captured every cultivator of note within Dahlia City. Not a single emperor or key minister from the twenty-four six-star civilizations escaped, and they even apprehended a large contingent of imperial relatives.

Gu Yuchen, fully satisfied, led his group away from Davilmus, ordering Zero, Zhi, and the Wolf Pack contingent to also evacuate the doomed location.

The lives of these individuals were in Gu Yuchen's hands; he needed them to monitor the Elders’ Council’s activities, so they could not be killed yet.

Once everyone associated with Gu Yuchen had cleared a sufficient safe distance from Davilmus, the planet detonated, transforming into a magnificent spectacle of fireworks.

Just as Gu Yuchen had predicted, the Davilmus star system collapsed entirely.

The Star Alliance's rule immediately plunged into anarchy. The twenty-four six-star civilizations, having lost their emperors and large numbers of key officials, instantly became a mess. Nearly everyone holding military power rose up, raised their own banners, and began playing a game of warring states.

Because of Gu Yuchen, the Star Alliance was shattered. The Elders’ Council’s dominion over this sector of the cosmos had fractured.

With spirits high, Gu Yuchen and his companions happily made their way towards the Blazing Dragon Empire.