The Star-Lang Allied Forces in the Heaven Starfield were bustling with activity. Attacks involving tens of thousands of warships arriving in waves of dozens per day were a certainty, but beyond that, they were undertaking a massive engineering project.

Swarms of engineering vessels buzzed like flies chasing carrion, swirling out to every corner of the Heaven Starfield. A legion of engineering robots swarmed onto an asteroid tens of kilometers in diameter, installing every manner of propulsion system—from advanced plasma thrusters and even subspace fold drives, to outdated setups like **rocket engines. They then ignited these engines, pushing the asteroids slowly toward the Heaven Star.

Occasionally, the docking bays of colossal space carrier warships could be seen towing one or two asteroids forward with tractor beams, dragging them slowly along. It was impossible to tell how many asteroids the Star Alliance forces had moved near Heaven Star using various means.

With dull, heavy thuds, these asteroids were stacked together. Vast quantities of high-performance, fast-setting concrete were poured into the gaps between them, firmly locking the massive rocks together. Gradually, this artificial celestial body grew larger and larger, until the Star Alliance forces had forcibly constructed over twenty artificial stars, each exceeding fifty thousand kilometers in diameter. These massive bodies formed a ring orbiting Heaven Star as their core, silently floating in space four hundred light-seconds away from the planet.

High-energy shield generators were installed on these artificial satellites, and massive amounts of air were pumped onto their surfaces. After microwave pulverization, thick layers of soil covered the planetoids' surfaces. Hundreds of comets were then dragged in and crashed into these artificial bodies. After being superheated by microwaves, the ice within the comets melted, forming oceans and lakes across the surfaces.

Vast quantities of seeds were scattered onto the artificial worlds. Stimulated by biochemical gene agents, within just a few days, the surfaces were blanketed in thick vegetation. From soaring, cloud-piercing trees to low-lying mosses, the diversity of flora was immense, already forming complete ecological circles.

Next came the artificial suns to catalyze climate change across the surfaces. Spatial gravity traction devices connected these artificial worlds to Heaven Star, integrating them into a single system so the satellites revolved around the central planet. After meticulous calculation, the artificial bodies were carefully guided into rotation, gradually merging into Heaven Star’s planetary system and becoming its moons. Heaven Star’s night sky would now feature an additional twenty-four moons!

In a mere two months, the Star Alliance's almost unbelievable technology had forged this extraordinary reality. This capability was no different from the legendary Immortals instantly reshaping mountains and seas. Both involved the manipulation and control of matter and energy in the cosmos; technology developed to its absolute zenith was, essentially, the method of the Immortals.

Twenty-four naturally exquisite worlds had thus been created. Large contingents of Star Alliance guilds immediately moved onto these newly born artificial planets, establishing all manner of trading posts and entertainment venues across their surfaces.

Tens of thousands of mining vessels greedily surged toward the mineral-rich asteroids, large and small, orbiting near Heaven Star, ruthlessly plundering the area’s abundant resources. Ordinary rare metals were one thing, but the Heaven Starfield’s staggering reserves of Silver sent the high command of the Star-Lang Allied Forces nearly insane! In just over a year of conflict, the Alliance had already discovered dozens of mineral asteroids containing colossal stores of Silver—a fortune capable of driving anyone mad! And it wasn't just Silver; the region held immense quantities of Zaklara energy crystals!

The sheer wealth of resources inflamed the eyes of the Star Alliance high command until they were bloodshot. This very abundance was the catalyst for the creation of the twenty-four artificial worlds and the subsequent gathering of merchant guilds from every nation.

Currently, over thirty-seven percent of the Star Alliance’s civilizations—High, Middle, and Low tier—had congregated their fleets around Heaven Star. Specialties and exotic treasures from every corner of the Alliance were displayed here. Under normal Star Alliance commercial conditions, given the immense distances between nations, it would have been impossible for so many foreign merchant guilds to meet. Astute guilds flocked here, seizing this unprecedented opportunity within the Alliance to trade with their counterparts from various nations. Massive amounts of goods and wealth flowed rapidly through this hub. The battle for Heaven Star had reached no conclusion, yet the convergence of so many Alliance civilizations instantly propelled commercial exchange between Alliance nations to an unprecedented peak. According to the Star-Lang Allied High Command’s projections, if this war dragged on for another decade or two, the economic development of every nation would advance at least one level, with domestic production and consumption reaching new heights. Even the soldiers who died served a purpose, stimulating the boom and prosperity of the domestic funeral industry!

With this realization dawning upon them, the high command of the Star-Lang Allied Forces lost much of its motivation to conquer Heaven Star!

Let the conflict remain stalemated. A symbolic handful of attacks on Heaven Star each day would suffice. In any case, with so many warships encircling the planet, what future or hope remained for those trapped inside? Simply maintaining the encirclement and allowing their national merchant guilds to conduct further trade here was far more aligned with the fundamental interests of every nation.

Thus, as the construction of the twenty-four artificial satellites was completed, the fleets assigned to attack Heaven Star dwindled daily, and the ferocity of the assaults weakened. Among the ships arriving from various civilizations toward Heaven Star, warships became increasingly scarce, replaced by a growing number of mineral surveying vessels, transport ships, and the flagship entourages of powerful merchant magnates. Several months later, the Heaven Starfield had quietly accumulated high-ranking economic officials—commercial ministers, finance secretaries, and the like—representing tens of thousands of civilizations.

As the attacks on Heaven Star waned, the commercial atmosphere in the sector intensified, transforming the Heaven Starfield into the largest trade center the Star Alliance had ever witnessed!

While the Star-Lang Allied Forces were enthusiastically engaged in trade, deep within the stellar core of the Heaven Starfield, a transmission gate, undisturbed for untold ages, suddenly flared open. Pinpoints of lustrous white light traced a halo around the stellar core. A tall, imposing young man clad in light gold armor strode out of the gate. Twelve pristine white wings slowly unfurled behind him as he moved, followed by a contingent of nearly a thousand men and women, bearing white wings ranging from six to ten feathers.

The twelve-winged Angel, nearly a hundred meters tall, swept the surroundings with an icy gaze. He seized a white crystal pendant hanging on his chest and spoke in a deep, resonant voice: “Substitute Third Archangel Hamer reporting. Have arrived at the nearest star via the reserve Gate of Heaven.”

Hamer’s powerful psychic energy passed through the white crystal, manifesting as a peculiar energy fluctuation that radiated outward, rapidly integrating itself with the star’s own subtle energy vibrations. The star amplified this wave enormously and forcefully projected it into the void. Through a marvelous resonant connection between stars, this energy wave swiftly reached the far depths of the cosmos.

A return energy fluctuation soon followed. The crystal on Hamer’s chest pulsed with a gentle white light, and a soft, exquisitely clear female voice sounded: “Third Archangel Hamer, ascertain the exact circumstances of your predecessor’s demise. Locate the whereabouts of the Dark Fallen ones; monitor them, but do not stir them.”

Hamer gave a cold laugh, slowly releasing the white crystal. He stated in a low tone, “Do not stir them? The traitor who shamelessly abandoned the Ancestor’s primal might for the low ranks of the Winged Darkness—that wretch was not the one to kill that dead dog. I possess sufficient power to eradicate those sinners.”

Faint silver flames erupted from Hamer’s form, and the star’s internal energy surged into him, causing the silver fire to flare higher. Gradually, as the silver conflagration swelled to a height of a thousand meters, Hamer’s body began to shrink and shift until he assumed a height comparable to ordinary mortals. Retracting his wings, Hamer appeared indistinguishable from a common man, save for his silvery-white eyes, and the occasional phantom image of a silver cross and golden flames deep within them, which betrayed his difference.

Commanding his subordinates, who had accompanied him to this star system, to await his return at that location, Hamer soared away from the star, rushing toward the besieged Heaven Star with a mix of confusion and mild surprise. Hamer traveled at incredible speed, crossing the star system in mere minutes to hover above one of the most bustling and prosperous artificial planets. After a brief moment of contemplation, he transformed into a streak of silver light and phased into the artificial world, moving through the streets as if he were an ordinary resident.

“Decadent and filthy civilizations, these strayed sinners! They ought to dedicate their faith to the Great Ancestor!” Hamer coldly observed the throngs of merchants and reveling soldiers on the street, shaking his head. “The aura here is incredibly polluted. These despicable insects should all face judgment and cleansing.”

“My tragic predecessor, a powerful Archangel, yet he perished in this expanse of space…”

His severe gaze swept over the flow of people on the avenue. Hamer shook his head and prepared to fly toward the thirteen-star cluster where the Third Archangel Morphe had fallen. He muttered softly, “A fascinating place. So many despicable but spiritually potent little insects gathered here. If they could all become followers of our race, the Ancestor’s awakening would be greatly hastened. Hmm. Third Archangel Hamer reports: this location holds significant developmental potential. Requesting deployment of Seraphim to propagate doctrine.”

Transmitting his assessment via the white crystal, Hamer was about to depart when an aura that caused faces to pale suddenly washed over him.

Up ahead on the main thoroughfare, Penghua, Siren, Little Daoist Zhang, and Daoist Zhengyi stumbled out of a bar, visibly reeling from drink. All four reeked of alcohol, and Penghua and Siren in particular seemed to ooze thick, viscous liquor from their pores. Both men’s eyes were unfocused, their consumption clearly immense. Siren weaved erratically as he walked, his hands repeatedly reaching out to fondle the posteriors of uniformed Allied female soldiers on the street.

The Star-Lang Allied Forces had artificially constructed these twenty-four commercial planets. Given Penghua and his companions’ temperaments, it was inevitable they would cause chaos. Almost as soon as the merchant guilds began settling on these worlds, Penghua’s group had stealthily infiltrated them. For individuals of their cultivation, the Alliance blockade was nothing more than a joke; they slipped through easily and proceeded to wreak havoc across these planets. Since the completion of these trade worlds, at least half of the reported heinous crimes committed originated from their actions.

After thoroughly drinking fine liquor from some three-star civilization in the bar and soundly beating a fleet commander from some unknown low-tier civilization, Penghua and the others left, debating whether to set a fire somewhere or sneakily assassinate a few Allied generals vacationing on the trade worlds, when Hamer detected them.

“Sinner of Darkness, surrender your life!” A blinding white light suddenly burst forth from Hamer. He drew a two-handed broadsword, its blade shimmering with cold light, and pointed it at Siren: “Though I am grateful you dispatched my useless predecessor, Morphe, I must still kill you!”

The aura erupting from Hamer shattered the pedestrians on half the street, sending thousands airborne before incinerating them into ash. A scorching wave of heat radiated outward from Hamer’s body, sweeping the entire avenue and causing the temperature within a radius of several kilometers to soar past several thousand degrees—hot enough to melt ordinary stone. Buildings and pedestrians on nearby avenues vaporized amidst the shimmering white light and surging heat. The ground was scorched into a molten pit a hundred meters deep.

“What kind of bird-man is this?” Penghua let out an astonished burp, casually shoving Siren forward while stumbling back a few paces himself, nearly falling flat on his rear. Rolling his eyes, he slurred, “He’s looking for you; go fight him! If you don’t move, I’ll tell Aridya you were harassing Allied female officers while scouting the enemy!”

Siren cursed and moved to confront Hamer, drawing his sword, which had materialized from the Ruler of Fate. Wisps of black flame seeped from Siren’s body, forming a towering plume of black fire several dozen meters high around him. The sword trembled slightly, with fine black light subtly appearing at the tip. Where the blade passed, the air was cleaved by an extremely thin black scar that refused to heal for a long time. The surrounding temperature rose even higher as the black flame and white flame collided in the air, emitting a sound like furious waves crashing upon a shore.

Overhead, a dozen small patrol vessels rushed in, and a voice shouted sternly, “By order of the Joint Command, all combat is strictly forbidden on the surface of the trade planets! All personal grievances must be suspended! Lay down your weapons, surrender, and submit to investigation by the Joint Command Military Police! Repeating: lay down your weapons, surrender, and submit to investigation by the Military Police!”

Siren and Hamer both sneered, simultaneously unleashing a strike toward the void. A black sword ray and a white sword qi soared upward like twin dragons, tearing through the void. The dozen patrol vessels disintegrated amid the intense light, instantly vaporized by the extreme heat. Hamer nodded coldly and commanded in a low voice, “These annoying insects... Hmm, how strange. There is no power of faith within you. As a member of our race, how can you possess such formidable strength without relying on the power of faith?”

Glancing at Siren with slight puzzlement, Hamer swung his sword outward in return. White holy light, carrying a torrent of sacred flames, swept across the area. Everything within a hundred-mile radius was utterly destroyed. All matter was instantly vaporized, and even the souls of those killed, just letting out a cry of confusion in the air, were purified completely by the sacred flames.

Siren ignored Hamer’s question. Twelve black wings suddenly unfurled from his back, propelling him into a streak of black light that shot directly toward Hamer.

Hamer focused all his attention on Siren, chuckling darkly, “Do not mistake me for a failure like Morphe. Unlike that trash who rose through mere bloodline association, I inherited the position of Third Archangel through absolute strength!”

The black light flashed violently, and Siren materialized beside Hamer’s right flank, thrusting his sword backhanded toward Hamer’s vital spot.

Hamer saw every move Siren made with crystal clarity. He blocked Siren’s thrust with his own sword, and two streams of golden flame erupted from his eyes, shooting toward Siren. Hamer sneered, “Such petty tricks are useless against me! Your speed is decent, but compared to mine, it is far too slow, far too slow!”

Not only speed, but Hamer’s physical strength far surpassed Siren’s. As their swords locked, Siren was thrown backward like a leaf in the wind, staggering dozens of steps sideways. The sheer force of Hamer’s impact made Siren lose control of his footing momentarily. The two golden flames erupting from Hamer’s eyes struck Siren’s body. The golden flames, viscous and resembling molten glass, adhered to Siren, causing his body to crackle audibly.

This golden flame was not only intensely hot but also carried a powerful soul attack. Siren seemed to hear the devout chants of tens of billions of believers calling Hamer’s name. Each of these billions of followers projected a trace of extremely fine psychic energy integrated into the golden flame aimed at Siren’s soul. Although the psychic attack provided by each individual believer was minuscule, the accumulated mass became a terrifying mental torrent blasting against Siren’s soul.

With a cry of agony, Siren retracted his longsword into his body. Spitting blood from all seven orifices, Siren clutched his temples and rapidly retreated, his body convulsing violently. The wings on his back flapped weakly, like those of a sick hen, shedding a shower of black feathers.

Hamer cried out in delight, “Sinner of Darkness, do you now understand the true strength of our race? Without the power of faith, how can you possibly contend with me?”

Slish. A three-edged military spike suddenly pierced through Hamer’s heart.

Faint black-red corrosive Qi faintly flickered on the spike. A strand of scarlet Corpse God Flame slowly spewed from the weapon. The skin around Hamer’s chest immediately turned a startling greenish-black, and a sky-rending evil energy rapidly spread through his body. Hamer’s sacred power and the invading evil qi collided and consumed each other, producing explosive crackling sounds like water hitting red-hot iron.

Stabbed through the heart, even Hamer, whose power was supreme, was momentarily stunned by the vile ambush. Forged from innate materials, the three-edged spike was peerlessly sharp. Refined using the dark, sinister energy of the Nine Nethers, the spike possessed immense corrosive and polluting power. Hamer’s body, tempered by holy light for countless years, was like a vat of pure water suddenly laced with a large packet of potassium cyanide and a jar of ink. The terrible toxicity and pollution spread rapidly within him.

Furthermore, the Corpse God Flame, the most sinister and foul energy in existence, clung to the spike. With his heart-core pierced, Hamer writhed, yet for a moment, he lacked even the strength to move. The Corpse God Flame swiftly corrupted his core. The sacred flame energy was being extracted, and Hamer’s previously crystal-white, flawless heart-core was already a third of the way turned black-red.

“Despicable!” Hamer slowly turned his head to look at Penghua, standing far behind him.

Penghua’s eyes were now clear as cold stars, completely devoid of any trace of alcohol. He had suddenly sprouted feathered wings, using maximum speed combined with the Nine Nethers’ stealth technique to circle behind Hamer and strike. He bowed cheerfully toward Hamer, shamelessly boasting, “Brothers in arms, I only said Siren would fight you one-on-one, but I never said I wouldn’t join in! We cultivators value situational awareness—if you didn't notice my sneak attack, you deserved to die!”

Hamer, furious to the point of madness, violently gripped the handle of the spike lodged in his chest and savagely ripped it free. A pillar of blood sprayed from his body; the formerly light-gold blood was now mixed with a strange black-red hue, the color of spoiled pork blood. As the spike was pulled out, Hamer’s body shuddered violently, and the soul-deep pain caused his consciousness to momentarily blank.

With a sharp crack, in that instant of Hamer’s lapse, Daoist Zhengyi transformed into a streak of light, darting beside Hamer. He struck backhand with a magnificent golden light that slammed into the top of Hamer’s head. This single beam of golden light was enough to cause Hamer’s skull to explode. His massive body shattered without any resistance, his golden blood and white sacred flames spraying outward, only to be instantly pulverized by the force of the golden light, scattering into faint motes of luminescence.

Daoist Zhengyi froze for a moment, then burst into ecstatic shouts, “This fellow belongs to the Star Lord echelon; the God-Beating Whip truly delivered a one-hit kill!” The golden light condensed in Daoist Zhengyi’s hand—it was indeed the God-Beating Whip, snatched by Gu Xichen from Daoist Mu, which Penghua had returned, along with the Apricot Yellow Banner, to Daoist Zhengyi, the representative of the orthodox Kunlun lineage.

The God-Smiting Whip exclusively strikes Star Lords of the Thirty-Three Heavens and those bearing divine titles within the Celestial Court. If such an individual is struck by the Whip, unless protected by a Primordial Supreme Treasure or possessing a life-saving puppet artifact that acts as a substitute, there is no escaping its power—the result is invariably death or crippling injury. The Angelic race members are conceived within the heart of stars; thus, they are beings akin to the primordial Star Lords. Consequently, the God-Smiting Whip is inherently specialized to counter the Angelic race. Hamer, whose power far surpassed that of Peng Hua or others, was nevertheless killed by a single strike from the Daoist of Orthodox Unity, precisely because this fundamental law of innate generation and constraint took effect.

Gazing greedily at the God-Smiting Whip in the Daoist of Orthodox Unity's hand, the Young Daoist Zhang sighed deeply, "Legend has it that the ancestor of the Kunlun lineage, Jiang Ziya, with his own power barely reaching the level of a 'Golden Well' realm, still managed to slay countless ancient deities under his command. This God-Smiting Whip... tsk tsk, how domineering, how majestic! Why does my Zhongnan Mountain lineage possess no such treasure?"

The Daoist of Orthodox Unity gracefully flicked the God-Smiting Whip with a gentle swing, slowly running a finger along its length. Suddenly, he sighed toward the heavens, "These times... so dreadfully quiet!"

Beside him, Sai Yu, whose body was engulfed in flames that had burned his skin black as charcoal, shrieked hoarsely, "Quiet your mother! Save me! This Golden Flame carries a mental attack; whatever you do, don't touch it!"

A piercing cry erupted, and blood spewed simultaneously from all seven orifices of Siren. His eyes rolled back as he collapsed, his body twitching uncontrollably. Possessing immortality, Hamer's Golden Flame could not truly destroy Siren's flesh or soul, but its immense heat had scorched his entire body to a crisp. The mental attack within the flame ceaselessly assaulted Siren's soul. Siren felt as if his brain were a bowl of soft tofu being violently shaken on a high-frequency vibrator; he feared his very essence would be shaken apart.

Upon hearing it was a mental attack, Peng Hua and the Daoist of Orthodox Unity immediately wrung their hands in distress; neither possessed an artifact capable of countering psychic assaults.

The Young Daoist Zhang, however, suddenly puffed up with energy. He laughed loudly, "A mere mental attack? What is that? Behold the Scripture-Listening Furnace left by my Ancestor!"

A pillar of purple energy shot up from above his head, and a purely golden censer erupted from the purple mist. Instantly, a rain of five-colored starlight sprayed forth from the censer, descending like delicate tassels, enveloping the Young Daoist Zhang. The Young Daoist Zhang pointed triumphantly, sending a beam of five-colored flame straight at Siren. The Golden Flame that caused Siren to scream and writhe was instantly caught, coiled, and swept away by this light, vanishing into nothingness. The Scripture-Listening Furnace gave a faint chime, and a ball of Golden Flame leaped violently near its opening a few times, but the five-colored flame dragged it firmly into the censer, where it could never emerge again.

Siren let out a booming laugh. A ball of black light surged out of his body, and the scorched, charred skin quickly shed away into nothingness, replaced by new layers of smooth, pale, tender skin. In mere breaths, Siren was completely restored, as if the wounds that had left him flayed open with bone fissures showing moments before had never afflicted him. Immortality was truly profound, making Peng Hua and the Daoist of Orthodox Unity almost drool with envy.

The Young Daoist Zhang stood frozen for a moment, then suddenly leaped eight feet high, roaring with laughter, "Marvelous! This Scripture-Listening Furnace truly lives up to its name as the ultimate treasure of Zhongnan!"

Initially, the Young Daoist Zhang hadn't fully grasped the profound mystery of the Scripture-Listening Furnace. After all, this artifact had been largely lost in the Zhongnan Mountain lineage for countless years. He only vaguely knew that the Furnace possessed the miraculous ability to expel inner demons, destroy all demonic entities, and stabilize the cultivator's mind. That was why he had used it against Siren to eliminate the Golden Flame, and it succeeded with a single strike. Furthermore, after the Golden Flame was absorbed by the Furnace, the Young Daoist Zhang actually felt a thread of pure Nascent Soul origin power, entirely free of impurities, slowly seeping from the Scripture-Listening Furnace, gradually nourishing his own Nascent Soul.

In the brief span of a single finger-snap, the Young Daoist Zhang’s Nascent Soul had increased by nearly fifty percent! This showed just how potent this single thread of Nascent Soul origin power was! Moreover, the enhanced Nascent Soul felt agile and completely natural, as if it had always been this way for the Young Daoist Zhang.

Overjoyed, the Young Daoist Zhang hurriedly shared his discovery with Peng Hua and the others. Immediately, Peng Hua, Siren, and the Daoist of Orthodox Unity stared blankly at him, their jealousy so intense their eyes practically turned green!

The Nascent Soul is the absolute foundation of any cultivator. A stronger Nascent Soul means stronger divine consciousness, making comprehension of the Heavenly Dao, accumulation of spiritual power, control over various artifacts, drafting of talismans, and setting up formations much easier. Therefore, what cultivators strive to cultivate fundamentally is the Nascent Soul, and for the Scripture-Listening Furnace to possess such a miraculous effect—absorbing mental attacks for its own use to strengthen the cultivator's Nascent Soul—this Furnace could only be described as a divine artifact, its value potentially exceeding that of ordinary Primordial Supreme Treasures.

Treasures are ultimately external tools; one's own cultivation is the root of everything. Given the Scripture-Listening Furnace's heaven-defying divine efficacy, no wonder the Young Daoist Zhang was so ecstatic, and no wonder Peng Hua and the others were so consumed by envy!

With a long sigh, the Daoist of Orthodox Unity cast a malicious glance at Siren, "If I had known this earlier, this Daoist shouldn't have whipped that birdman to death; I should have let him spray a few more bursts of Golden Flame." Siren's face immediately darkened, and he cursed furiously, "None of you long-nosed priests are good people."

The Young Daoist Zhang grabbed Siren's sleeve and laughed heartily, "Benefactor, seeing as this poor Daoist possesses nothing, please donate this flesh body to help this poor Daoist achieve success!"

While the group was engaged in this chaotic jesting, thousands of warships, large and small, were already streaming toward them in the sky. The massive disturbance they had created, which had completely annihilated a dozen commercial districts within a hundred-mile radius, had alerted the main force of the Star Alliance Expeditionary Army nearby, prompting them to dispatch a squadron of elite warships.

Peng Hua saw that these warships were all standard Star Alliance issue; the White-Winged battleships he most feared were nowhere in sight, let alone the immensely powerful Death Star Cruisers. He couldn't help but laugh toward the heavens, "What is this? You bring out these piles of scrap metal? Do you look down on your great Lord Peng Hua? Brothers, let's go!"

Amidst his laughter, Peng Hua opened his mouth and spewed forth a beam of sword light, which transformed into a thousand-meter-long silver rainbow, soaring into the sky trailing immeasurable specks of starlight the size of sesame seeds. The first three high-speed assault ships, each a hundred meters long, were sliced cleanly in half by his single sword strike. A swirl of countless silvery, glass-like starlight followed, and the wreckage of the assault ships immediately dissolved into countless specks of dust.

Siren gave a cold snort. Having just been battered into a sorry state, he formed several strange hand seals and softly chanted a Buddhist mantra. He thrust the seals forward, and instantly, a pitch-black, reverse swastika Buddha seal took shape before him. Beams of black light, each as thick as a water vat, shot toward the sky. These dense black beams were like ten thousand powerful crossbow bolts fired at once, shattering the energy shields of hundreds of warships overhead and punching holes the size of water vats across their hulls. Great sheets of fire rained down from above, and hundreds of Star Alliance warships simultaneously exploded into fragments.

The Daoist of Orthodox Unity was cautious and prudent. He lacked Peng Hua's formidable physique or Siren's immortality; in contrast, a Daoist's body is inherently frail, and even the smallest Star Alliance warship could threaten his physical form. Thus, he first brought out the Yellow Earth Apricot Banner to shield himself and the Young Daoist Zhang. Only then did he unleash a flying sword and a golden brick, battering the sky wildly. His cultivation might be inferior to Peng Hua and Siren, but fortunately, his flying sword and golden brick were ancestral artifacts from Kunlun, and when urged by secret techniques, their power was formidable. Wherever the golden sword light passed, every vessel, including Star Alliance primary battleships, was cleanly sheared in half; when the golden brick smashed down, the warships were struck as if by massive anti-air cannons, their hulls erupting with huge, gaping holes.

Inside the protection of the Apricot Banner, the Young Daoist Zhang treated the battle like a game, summoning the Immaculate Duster and sweeping its pale-green, water-like filaments across the sky. Thin wisps of green light tugged and pushed the Star Alliance ships here and there, causing the nearly one thousand vessels in the air to dart about like headless flies. Suddenly, the Immaculate Duster nudged the direction of the tail thrusters of two warships, causing the two primary vessels to collide head-on at high speed, smashing half of each ship to dust.

While the four of them were enjoying the fight, the commanders of the ships overhead could not even afford to cry. Facing such overwhelmingly powerful opponents as Peng Hua and the others, these fleet commanders could only issue continuous urgent calls for reinforcements.

After a round of furious shouting, three White-Winged class battleships, sleekly designed and entirely white, finally appeared. They hovered silently high in the sky, their sterns aimed directly at Peng Hua and his companions.

Seeing the White-Winged battleships arrive, Peng Hua’s expression shifted. A White-Winged battleship could unleash a full-power strike equivalent to that of an early-stage Celestial Immortal—a force capable of destroying an ordinary planet. Apart from Siren, who possessed immortality, even Peng Hua, with his physically strongest body, dared not face a White-Winged battleship head-on. He shouted urgently, "Wind is picking up, let's scatter and fight on the move! I don't believe they'll dare fire on their own allies!"

With a strange laugh, Peng Hua and the others rode their sword lights up into the sky, blending in with the host of chaotic, headless warships below.

The three White-Winged battleships were indeed stumped. Although they could unleash attacks equivalent to an early-stage Celestial Immortal, they were suspended directly above a vital commercial planet painstakingly constructed by the Star Alliance Expeditionary Army. Cautious of collateral damage, they absolutely dared not attack at full strength. A conventional main cannon attack could threaten Peng Hua and his group, but they had basely submerged themselves within the formation of their friendly forces, making it impossible for the White-Winged ships to open fire. The three powerful vessels were forced to hover in place, rendered completely ornamental.

Peng Hua chuckled maniacally, his every pore spewing forth bloody light and dark qi. A dense fog of blood enveloped the Star Alliance warships, corroding their vulnerable points and seeping inside.

Any living creature touched by this blood mist instantly had its vital essence drained, flowing into Peng Hua's body, revitalizing him until his face was flushed red and his vital energy surged boundlessly. The potent blood energy churned within him; Peng Hua almost bled from the nose from sheer excess.

The group hid within this blood-colored black energy, darting back and forth among the warships. As Peng Hua deployed his demonic technique to absorb vital essence, Siren and the others cooperated by carving holes in the hulls of the ships to allow the blood mist to penetrate more easily. In a short time, all several thousand Star Alliance warships lost control, slowly spiraling down toward the commercial planet below.

With these ships neutralized, the four figures were instantly exposed to the three White-Winged battleships. The White-Winged vessels, having charged their weapons, immediately locked onto the four individuals.

Suddenly, a beam of intensely powerful light streamed down from the void. Nearly a thousand figures, clad in silver armor, wielding long swords and round shields, their backs adorned with flowing wings, charged down from the distance. The two Ten-Winged Angels leading the contingent cursed furiously. Still several thousand kilometers from the three White-Winged battleships, the two Ten-Winged Angels unleashed blinding Holy Flames from their hands. Simultaneously, twin, cross-shaped sword energies, whistling sharply, plummeted from the high sky, striking the three White-Winged battleships almost at the same instant.

The ships' energy shields disintegrated, massive sections of their hull armor instantly vaporized, and the sleek vessels were cleaved into four pieces by the cross-shaped sword energy.

The remaining nearly one thousand Angels roared in unison, "In Hamer’s Name!" Countless smaller cross-shaped sword energies whistled down like rain, pulverizing the remaining White-Winged battleship and blasting the two already shattered ships into fine dust. The cross-shaped sword energy was composed entirely of pure light energy, its temperature so high it surpassed that found deep within a normal star. The debris of the three ships vaporized into wisps of green smoke, and the control personnel aboard were utterly annihilated.

Peng Hua and his companions, their eyes far more slippery than thieves', stole a distant glance at the Angels. They instantly noticed that every single one of these beings possessed eyes blazing with murderous intent. Peng Hua quickly and stealthily tugged at Siren's sleeve. Without any need for discussion, the group unanimously activated their escape techniques and retreated backward. Taking advantage of the commotion caused by the numerous falling warships nearby, the four vanished like phantoms, leaving a massive scapegoat for the Star Alliance Expeditionary Army.

As he fled backward using his escape technique, Peng Hua pulled out a piece of pure Yin material, which he slightly refined with Corpse Fire, molding it into a cross, which he hung around his neck.

"From this day forward, we shall all be devout believers of the Heavenly Lord!" Peng Hua declared, excluding Siren.

Taking a deep breath, Peng Hua sneered, "Tomorrow, send men to contact that brat Gu Yuru. Tell him to dispatch a contingent of bishops to Paradise Star to proselytize. All garrisons on Paradise Star are to be folded into the Church!"

In space, nearly a thousand furious Angels charged recklessly into the Star Alliance fleet formation. Their devastating cross-shaped sword energies shot across the void, causing nearby Star Alliance warships to explode one after another. While the Six-Winged and Eight-Winged Angels were manageable, the two Ten-Winged Angels were like fiends possessed. A single sword-strike could often blast several hundred kilometers, turning every warship in its path to ash!

Hamer was dead. The newly ascended Third Authority Angel, Hamer, had been murdered right in front of these Angels! Unlike Morofei, who was a mere figurehead commanding the Thirteenth Star Domain, Morofei’s direct kin had nearly been wiped out in ancient wars with cultivators. But these Ten-Winged Angels were all direct kin and direct subordinates of Hamer.

According to Angelic law, when the leader of one's lineage is slain, the followers accompanying them face severe punishment!

Recalling the terrifying tortures within the Tribunal, these Angels who had accompanied Hamer to the Paradise Star Domain went berserk! The moment they sensed Hamer’s life aura vanish, they rushed toward the area. Disregarding all consequences, they mobilized their full power, launching frenzied attacks on every target within their sight.

Especially the two Ten-Winged Angels, who, as Hamer’s adjutants, possessed a portion of his might. They burned the faith power provided by Hamer’s followers, unleashing unimaginably fierce power, sustaining the continuous stream of absolute cross-shaped sword energies. Lacking complex technique, relying only on sheer force, these simplest cross-shaped sword strikes—fueled by burning faith—inflicted horrific damage upon the Star Alliance fleet. In just a short quarter of an hour, nearly a million warships were destroyed by these maddened Angels.

The two Ten-Winged Angels accounted for eighty percent of all the destroyed vessels!

Gradually, the burning faith power began to turn the bodies of the two Ten-Winged Angels golden yellow; their forms became hazy, resembling two columns of blazing golden fire. Radiating a suffocating aura of terror, they continued to unleash golden sword energies whose range of effect expanded to tens of thousands of kilometers.

Each golden cross-shaped sword energy spanned several hundred kilometers and struck targets tens of thousands of kilometers away. The Ten-Winged Angels leaped through the void like flying dragons; wherever they passed, Star Alliance warships burst into flames.

An aura of dread spread throughout the Star Alliance fleet. When one Ten-Winged Angel cleaved over a hundred White-Winged battleships in half and obliterated a sector commander of the Star Alliance Expeditionary Army, the assassins, who the Star Alliance Command had been reluctant to deploy against Paradise Star, finally appeared: twenty Death Star Cruisers belonging to a Six-Star civilization warped in from subspace, blocking the path of this group of Angels.

All the Angels simultaneously shouted, "In Hamer's Name!" and then charged desperately toward the fully charged Death Star Cruisers.

Twenty beams of dark light swept across the void, and nearly a thousand Angels disintegrated within the black light. Against the Star Alliance's most powerful war assets, the Angels' armor and Holy Light could not save their lives.

The Angels' dying screams transformed into a vast mental wave that surged into the star system of Paradise Star. Amplified by the resonance of the star, this mental ripple rapidly spread into the depths of the universe.

Tens of thousands of stars simultaneously erupted with blinding flames, unleashing terrifying solar storms.

Tens of thousands of powerful mental waves rapidly linked together following the peculiar resonance between the stars. Tens of thousands of thoughts clamored wildly: "Third Authority Angel Hamer is dead! His accompanying kin have been slaughtered!"

"Disgrace!"

"An overwhelming disgrace!"

"Two Authority Angels dead in such a short time! A monumental disgrace!"

"Retaliation is mandatory! These heretics must be purged! Before the Great Progenitor awakens, we must eradicate this shame!"

"While ensuring sufficient faith power is supplied to the Progenitor, how many forces can we deploy?"

After a brief silence, the mental storm rolled between the stars once more.

"Forces of the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth Authority Angels, deploy!"

On the twelve smallest stars among these tens of thousands, the surface flames suddenly dimmed.

"Ninth Power Angel Hatanrong, lead the Ninth Power Angel Legion and advance together!"

Somewhere in the universe, within a massive neutron star floating solitarily in the void, with no celestial bodies within millions of light-years, a low roar suddenly erupted.

A faint silver light shot up from the surface of this neutron star. A man a thousand meters tall, bearing only a single pair of deep silver wings, his visage ferocious, his head large and bald, his body a mass of knotted muscle like a demon, slowly flew out from within the silver light.

"Hatanrong obeys the command! Ninth Power Angel Legion, attack! Mission: Annihilate all heretics in that star system! Eradicate them completely!"

"Jie jie," Hatanrong cackled urgently, flexing both arms and striking the void fiercely.

"My children, after your long slumber, you must have recovered your strength! Now, show your might to the entire universe!"

With the force of one strike, the starry sky shattered. Millions of Six-Winged and Eight-Winged Angels, led by four Ten-Winged Angels, swept forth.

Dozens of overwhelmingly powerful divine senses manifested in the void. Three small stars materialized out of thin air, and vast amounts of flame surged between them, eventually coalescing into a triangular Stargate.

Millions of Power Angels raised their battle-axes and roared battle hymns as they charged into the Stargate.

Target: Paradise Star!

Target: Slaughter everything!