The boundless void pulsed with the movement of a Taiji diagram, radiating purple energy that spanned tens of thousands of star domains.

Above the colossal Taiji diagram, thirty-three layers of purple clouds were arrayed from bottom to top, each cloud adorned with countless palaces and pavilions. The starlight emanating from the myriad stars seemed to illuminate these halls and towers, with every palace and every pavilion emitting a dazzling gleam that bathed the infinite void in a brilliant, blinding purple radiance.

Within the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, situated in the very center of the uppermost purple cloud, the Haotian God sat enthroned upon the Dragon Seat, his eyes narrowed as he observed a troupe of celestial maidens performing an exquisite dance.

Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed. Taibai Jinxing, his hair white as crane feathers, his face that of a youth, and an aura of benevolent harmony surrounding him—even without smiling, his expression held a clear hint of joy—rushed into the Lingxiao Treasure Hall. Old Taibai waved a casual hand, and the hundreds of dancing celestial maidens swiftly withdrew from the hall. Taibai Jinxing vaulted onto the cloud dais beside the Haotian God and leaned in, whispering a few words into his ear.

The Haotian God’s narrowed eyes snapped open. He threw his head back and laughed toward the heavens, “So, Yang Jian has finally seen sense! He killed the White Dragon Spirit Lord? Excellent! Wonderful! Taibai Jinxing, draft an imperial decree: bestow upon Yang Jian the title of Grand Marshal of Military Affairs for the First Line Star Abyss, granting him full command over all martial endeavors in that sector.”

The exhilarated Haotian God rose to his feet, clasping his hands behind his back, and began pacing excitedly around the cloud dais.

After a moment of contemplation, the Haotian God boomed with laughter, “Reward Erlang Zhenjun Yang Jian with ten thousand golden flowers, ten thousand jars of Imperial Wine, and a thousand celestial maidens. Grant him one hundred thousand Heavenly Dragon Horses, one hundred thousand sets of Qilin Heavenly Armor, and one hundred thousand sets of Suanni Heavenly Soldiers. Did he not wish to raise an elite force? Grant it to him, indulge him!”

With a mighty sweep of his right hand forward, the Haotian God declared with unrestrained might, “Also, reward him with one thousand pills of Nine Revolutions Elixir, and grant him one thousand streams of Innate Primordial Spirit. Tell him: heavy rewards for killing the White Dragon Spirit Lord this time. Next time he manages to kill the Yellow Dragon True Master, I shall name him the Grand Marshal of all military forces in the Heavenly Court!”

Taibai Jinxing chuckled heartily and bowed deeply in acknowledgment.

Far across the vast expanse of stars, beyond the reach of the Heavenly Court, a rough thatched hut and a magnificent, imposing palace glittering with gold quietly floated in the void. Inside the hut, Taishang Laojun sat cross-legged; within the palace, Yuanshi Tianzun was imparting Daoist teachings to a group of newly accepted disciples.

Abruptly, Yuanshi Tianzun stopped lecturing the thousands of disciples gathered in the great hall, frowned deeply, and flew over to Taishang Laojun’s humble hut.

Settling down beside Taishang Laojun, Yuanshi Tianzun’s face was grim as he snorted coldly, “Yang Jian actually struck down and killed the White Dragon Spirit Lord. Has he forgotten that he is a disciple of the Jade Void Palace? Or has the Haotian God somehow administered him some kind of intoxicating drug?”

Taishang Laojun, whose eyes remained tightly shut, maintained a long silence before speaking softly, “Haotian cannot truly control Yang Jian. It is likely his own will. After all these years, he should have made his decision: whether to lean towards us, or towards Haotian and the Queen Mother. He ought to have reached a conclusion.”

Sighing deeply, Taishang Laojun opened his eyes. Within his sockets, only two dense masses of purple energy swirled; it was impossible to discern the true appearance of his pupils. The purple energy undulated out from his eye sockets, and Taishang Laojun extended his ten fingers, rapidly performing a sequence of divinations.

After a full hour, Taishang Laojun finally closed his eyes again. He murmured, “It is confirmed that Yang Jian killed the White Dragon Spirit Lord; there is no doubt about that. However, if Yang Jian fully aligns himself with Haotian, the disciples of the various Sects listed on the Investiture of the Gods list will become unstable. Martial Brother, you must react swiftly and make arrangements ahead of time.”

Yuanshi Tianzun’s eyes widened, and wisps of golden flame instantly began to roll around his body. Countless golden blossoms rained down from the void, transforming into streaks of golden lightning that lashed out violently around the thatched hut. Yuanshi Tianzun roared fiercely, “Since that is the case, why don’t you and I, Martial Brothers, join forces and eradicate that Heavenly Palace root and branch!”

Taishang Laojun raised his right hand and waved it gently.

“Martial Brother, why are you losing control of your temper more and more? Has this universe truly affected you so greatly? Do not forget that Haotian and the Queen Mother now also hold the status of Saints. If you and I join forces against them, while we may win, it will only be a bitter victory. What then, after the victory?” Yuanshi Tianzun’s surrounding golden flames instantly extinguished, and the thunderous bombardment vanished without a trace.

Yuanshi Tianzun remained silent for a long time, his eyelids drooping, before finally sighing softly, “If the Third Brother were still here, perhaps this matter would already be half settled.”

Taishang Laojun also closed his eyes, sighing low, “Teacher’s methods are formidable. As soon as he arrived here, he released all the disciples of the Jie Sect listed on the Investiture of the Gods, and also released all the Jie Sect members within Buddhism. Does the Third Brother still recall the lingering resentment from the original Divine Investiture? The Three Pure Ones are no longer the Three Pure Ones.”

With a long, helpless shake of his head, Taishang Laojun continued, “Send Yuding to the First Line Star Abyss. Stabilize the situation there; the various yields from that region are extremely important to our disciples. And the core of the First Line Star Abyss must absolutely not fall into the hands of the Heavenly Palace.”

Yuanshi Tianzun slowly nodded. After a considerable pause, he gave a soft shout, summoning a middle-aged Daoist radiating a jade-white luminescence into the hut. After briefly instructing the Daoist in a low voice, Yuanshi Tianzun handed him a faint yellow, semi-transparent long sword. The middle-aged Daoist kowtowed respectfully to Taishang Laojun and Yuanshi Tianzun several times, then rapidly transformed into a streak of rosy light and fled.

News of Yang Jian killing the White Dragon Spirit Lord also swiftly reached several other parties through clandestine channels.

Amitabha, seated in the Great Hero Hall, received the news and a trace of pleased satisfaction crossed his slightly bitter face. He spat out a mouthful of blood, pondered for a moment, and immediately summoned several Buddhas, giving them low-voiced instructions. These Buddhas departed the Great Hero Hall joyfully, leading countless subordinates, and quickly made their way toward the First Line Star Abyss.

Not far from Amitabha’s Western Pure Land, a colossal, golden * turtle carried a small island as it drifted through the void.

On the small island, the Tongtian Sect Master was seated in meditation within the Biyou Palace. Suddenly, he burst into unrestrained laughter. After laughing madly for a long time, the Tongtian Sect Master issued a decree: the tens of thousands of Jie Sect Immortals listening to his lecture in Biyou Palace surged out, rapidly heading toward the surrounding starry space.

On countless cultivation planets, these Jie Sect Immortals had each established their own Daoist sanctuaries and founded their own Daoist sects. Given the temperament of the Jie Sect Immortals, their number of followers was immense; even a minor Taiyi Golden Immortal often amassed over a million disciples.

These tens of thousands of Sect Immortals, full of vigor, gathered the elites among their disciples and ascended onto a vast floating continent released by the Tongtian Sect Master. A turbulent cloudscape arose, accompanied by cheerful expedition drums, as they merrily journeyed towards the First Line Star Abyss. Among these tens of thousands of Jie Sect Immortals, slightly less than half were the Demon Immortals brought into this universe by Yunxian from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

Since Amitabha and the Tongtian Sect Master had already made their moves, the two Saints Jieyin and Zhunti naturally were not willing to lag behind. Neither Saint appeared personally; instead, they sent envoys to deliver a letter written on a Bodhi leaf to Fuyaming. Consequently, a great number of Buddhist cultivators also rushed toward the First Line Star Abyss.

Gu Xiechen had no idea that his act of killing the White Dragon Spirit Lord under Yang Jian’s assumed identity would provoke such a massive reaction. Truly, one stone caused a thousand waves to ripple. While he seemingly eliminated his own troubles by slaying the White Dragon Spirit Lord, he caused many others to misinterpret numerous things.

After killing the White Dragon Spirit Lord, Gu Xiechen immediately and diligently managed the affairs of the Artifact Crafting Camp. The thirty thousand disciples of the Artifact Sect worked tirelessly day and night forging weapons, their diligent attitude greatly pleasing the Vast Lie Divine Lord.

The First Line Star Abyss yielded boundless natural treasures, and the quality of all materials was top-tier. The material warehouses of Jiazi Star Fortress were already packed to the brim with these supreme resources, allowing the Artifact Sect disciples to recklessly forge all manner of fanciful magic tools without fear of accountability.

The speed at which they squandered materials could not keep up with the pace at which the miners responsible for collection replenished the warehouses. Often, just as they finished wasting one warehouse’s worth of supplies, the miners would already have transported ten times that amount back to Jiazi Star Fortress. Like rats that had fallen into a vat of rice, the Artifact Sect disciples had never been so wealthy. They forged wildly, shaped items as they wished, pursuing every whim in their crafting. Supported by endless materials and personally tutored by Gu Xiechen in the Great Dao of artifact forging, the cultivation of the thirty thousand elite disciples of the Artifact Sect progressed daily.

Just as the Artifact Sect was wholeheartedly developing itself using the limitless resources of Jiazi Star Fortress—Yu Ding True Master arrived.

In the second month following Gu Xiechen’s assassination of the White Dragon Spirit Lord, Yang Jian’s master, Yu Ding True Master, arrived alone at Jiazi Star Fortress. He presented the decree from the Jade Pure Saint, Yuanshi Tianzun, and assumed military authority over the sixty super star fortresses in the First Line Star Abyss, becoming the highest authority of the Immortal Sect in that region. Yu Ding True Master established his residence at Jiazi Star Fortress.

Immediately upon taking command of the Immortal Sect’s defenses in the First Line Star Abyss, Yu Ding True Master dispatched a messenger to Haoyuan Heavenly Pass, formally requesting a meeting with Yang Jian.

Yang Jian’s reaction shocked certain parties but brought immense joy to even more—he kicked the messenger sent by Yu Ding True Master straight out of Haoyuan Heavenly Pass, sending him back toward Jiazi Star Fortress.

Haoyuan Heavenly Pass and Jiazi Star Fortress were not geographically far apart, yet the distance measured a full billion li. The unfortunate messenger was kicked ten billion li by Yang Jian, smashing through countless meteors and asteroids in the First Line Star Abyss along his trajectory. When the messenger finally returned to Jiazi Star Fortress, his bones were shattered, his flesh was sludge, and his internal organs resembled tofu dregs. His cultivation, previously at the peak of Taiyi Golden Immortal, was kicked back to the Void Realm, and his very Dao foundation was nearly shattered by that single kick.

Utterly uncompromising, showing not an ounce of deference. Yang Jian refused to even see his own master, Yu Ding True Master.

Conversely, perhaps stimulated by Yu Ding True Master’s arrival in the First Line Star Abyss, Haoyuan Heavenly Pass and several nearby Heavenly Palace strongholds began launching attacks, harassing Jiazi Star Fortress every few days. Yang Jian often led the charge to the front lines, inflicting heavy casualties upon the Immortal Sect’s forces.

Yu Ding True Master, stationed at Jiazi Star Fortress, surprisingly remained behind closed doors, allowing Yang Jian to lead incursions repeatedly.

Time flowed by, and in the blink of an eye, a century passed.

In this brief century, the thirty thousand disciples of the Artifact Sect, under Gu Xiechen’s meticulous cultivation and supported by the superb cultivation environment of the First Line Star Abyss, experienced an explosion of growth: over five hundred reached the peak Golden Immortal level, and the weakest among the rest attained the pinnacle of the Heavenly Immortal realm. These pinnacle Heavenly Immortals, upon their arrival at Jiazi Star Fortress a hundred years prior, had only possessed Golden Core cultivation! Gu Xiechen, too, naturally revealed an external cultivation level of peak Golden Immortal, just a hair's breadth away from Taiyi Golden Immortal.

On this day, Gu Xiechen left the Left Commander’s Mansion, taking only Xiaoqing with him. They soared out of Jiazi Star Fortress, following one of the cloud paths regularly used by the cultivators who gathered materials, and entered the complex region of meteors and asteroids surrounding the fortress. Along the way, low-ranking cultivators continuously bowed respectfully to greet Gu Xiechen, and even high-ranking Immortals kindly reminded him that the harassment from Haoyuan Heavenly Pass had peaked in recent months, with outward-bound Jiazi Star Fortress cultivators being attacked almost daily. They urged Gu Xiechen to be exceedingly cautious and never to act recklessly by engaging in conflict with the people of Haoyuan Heavenly Pass.

Gu Xiechen responded kindly to the reminders from these cultivators and Immortals, continuing alone deep into the asteroid field.

Over this century, the forging workshops under the jurisdiction of the Left Commander’s Office within the Jiazi Star Fortress Artifact Crafting Camp—which Gu Xiechen managed—became the favorite haunt of both the high-ranking Immortals and the low-ranking cultivators of Jiazi Star Fortress. The materials painstakingly collected by the low-ranking cultivators could be exchanged for excellent prices here; the Artifact Sect disciples exchanged magic artifacts for these materials at nearly a one-to-one ratio. Normally, one magic artifact required a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand times the materials for such an exchange. The Artifact Sect disciples were essentially exchanging artifacts at cost price, instantly winning the favor of all the low-ranking cultivators in Jiazi Star Fortress.

Furthermore, the high-grade magic artifacts personally guided in crafting by Gu Xiechen were highly sought after by all the high-ranking Immortals. With imaginative forging methods and powerful, flexible formation restrictions, the artifacts crafted by Gu Xiechen were invariably a tiny bit superior to those the high-ranking Immortals used themselves. This slight edge allowed Gu Xiechen to become the most beloved crafting master in Jiazi Star Fortress over the past century, invisibly securing the support of numerous high-ranking Immortals within the fortress.

Today, venturing out, Gu Xiechen intended to seize an opportunity to convert the support of these Immortals into a specific outcome he desired.

Wandering and stopping along the way, Gu Xiechen and Xiaoqing threaded through the asteroid belt, gathering countless rare materials, including highly prized treasures like tri-colored, four-colored, and five-colored Immortal Spirit Stones.

Dawdling, wasting nearly half a month, Gu Xiechen finally arrived at his ultimate destination—a massive asteroid, about a thousand zhang high, outwardly unremarkable and indistinguishable from the surrounding rocks.

Casting a careful glance around, Gu Xiechen unleashed seven streams of chilling energy, which transformed into seven streams of white, misty cold light that rapidly circled the asteroid. A dry shhh sound followed as the Seven Spirit Profound Yin Swords began grinding the asteroid layer by layer into icy dust that drifted away. As the sword light cut deeper, the material of the asteroid grew increasingly strange. Initially, the outer layer was a faint emerald green, identical to the neighboring rocks. But further in, after shaving off just five or six zhang, the exposed stone had turned a pale blood-red, becoming soft and elastic, like fresh flesh and blood.

Gu Xiechen merely controlled the sword light, continually slicing the asteroid. Gradually, the thousand-zhang high rock was whittled down until only a core remained: a stone sphere about twenty zhang in diameter, crystal clear like quartz, entirely blood-red, internally undulating as if nurturing a living entity—like a womb.

The seven cold lights converged, and Gu Xiechen flicked his sword finger; the stone sphere was cleaved open by sword energy, revealing a strange beast inside. It resembled a Qilin but possessed six legs, four wings, three pairs of spiraling horns atop its head, and dual eyes shining with fierce golden light. The beast was barely three chi long, appearing as if it had just been gestated but had not yet had time to grow. Its tender little mouth opened, revealing two neat rows of purple teeth, spitting out faint sparks of electricity.

As the stone sphere cracked open, the strange beast abruptly opened its eyes and tried to flee in a flash of electricity, but Gu Xiechen casually tossed out a net woven from strands of hair, which transformed into a cloud of hazy black mist and enveloped the creature. Gu Xiechen smiled faintly, “Trying to escape? Impossible. You are needed for a gift; you’ll just have to bear with it. Heh heh heh, this First Line Star Abyss is truly full of good treasures, excellent treasures!”

The strange beast surrendered, and Xiaoqing darted out like lightning. When the stone sphere exploded, a large amount of bloody mucus erupted. This mucus was condensed life essence from the vast vitality of the First Line Star Abyss, harboring immense power—it possessed miraculous effects like reversing death, regenerating flesh and bone, and transforming the acquired nature into the innate. Xiaoqing was also a naturally born aberrant insect, but its quality paled in comparison to the beast Gu Xiechen had captured. The difference between them was like the gap between a jade accessory bought for a few copper coins at a street stall and the priceless He Shi Bi.

Thus, Xiaoqing swiftly swallowed all the mucus and the remnant stone sphere. A streak of bloody light flashed across its body. Xiaoqing burped contentedly, and the skin on its body began to slough off from the top of its head. In the blink of an eye, it shed a layer of dead skin. After shedding this layer, Xiaoqing’s body became even more vibrant green, as if carved from the finest jade. The magical fluctuations emanating from within it became more agile, and its size shrank to just over two chi long. It coiled adorably onto Gu Xiechen’s shoulder, looking around proudly.

Patting the head of this gluttonous little worm, Gu Xiechen picked up the strange beast and slowly piloted his cloud back toward Jiazi Star Fortress.

On the way, Gu Xiechen ‘coincidentally’ ran into a detachment of soldiers from Haoyuan Heavenly Pass who were staging a raid on Jiazi Star Fortress. He also ‘coincidentally’ happened to be seen by the leading general, who immediately noticed the strange beast dangling in Gu Xiechen’s hand. This general was knowledgeable; the moment he saw the beast caged in the net in Gu Xiechen’s hand, he shrieked, “Innate Spirit Beast! An object of Innate origin! You rogue Daoist, where did you steal such a treasure?”

The Innate Spirit Beasts of this universe shared the same birth origin as the powerful Innate Great Sages—they were formidable creatures formed by the creation of heaven and earth. A beast like the one in Gu Xiechen’s hand, already fully developed in its matrix, if raised and tamed from a young age, would mature into an existence at least at the peak of Daluo Golden Immortal level. The benefits of possessing a fiercely loyal Spirit Beast at the peak Daluo Golden Immortal level were self-evident. If one were ruthless, they could feed the Innate Spirit Beast with their own vital blood from infancy, replacing the beast’s soul with their own primordial spirit. Once the beast matured fully, they could use secret arts to seize the beast’s primordial essence. With good fortune, they might even step into the Daluo Golden Immortal realm in one leap, achieving the status of a top-tier Immortal. Therefore, such an Innate Spirit Beast held infinite value! The moment the general saw the beast in Gu Xiechen’s hand, his eyes turned red.

At the general’s command, thousands of Haoyuan Heavenly Pass soldiers surged toward Gu Xiechen like a tide.

Gu Xiechen desperately defended himself on both sides, activating an auxiliary flying artifact, the ‘Heavenly Swan Wings,’ forged collaboratively by the Artifact Sect disciples. He took off in a streak of spiritual light and fled rapidly through the void. His escape speed was barely a fraction faster than his pursuers. The pursuers yelled and cursed, chasing him relentlessly but never quite catching up to Gu Xiechen. However, countless sword lights, magic treasures, and various spells managed to leave large patches of bloodstains on Gu Xiechen’s body.

Spitting blood, his body marred with crimson stains, Gu Xiechen fled in a pathetic state straight back into the defensive perimeter of Jiazi Star Fortress. The soldiers and generals of Jiazi Star Fortress reacted swiftly; hundreds of thousands of soldiers surged out, startling the pursuing forces behind them into a rapid retreat. The soldiers of Jiazi Star Fortress, unwilling to let their audacious foes escape, chased after them like maddened bulls.

The sound of war drums echoed from a distance as Yang Jian suddenly arrived leading a large army. Wielding the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade, Yang Jian personally commanded the forces, launching a fierce onslaught that routed the pursuing army from Jiazi Star Fortress. Seventy to eighty thousand of the several hundred thousand soldiers perished beneath Yang Jian’s blade.

By this time, Gu Xiechen had long since ‘escaped’ back into Jiazi Star Fortress, landing right in front of the residence of the Vast Lie Divine Lord with the strange beast. Groaning weakly a few times, Gu Xiechen, bearing his wounded body, requested an audience with the Vast Lie Divine Lord from the guards stationed outside his manor. Over the past century, Gu Xiechen had made various contributions to the Vast Lie Divine Lord from time to time, especially when the Artifact Sect disciples forged outstanding magic artifacts; Gu Xiechen would always deliver these artifacts to the Vast Lie Divine Lord’s residence immediately. While such superior artifacts were useless to the Divine Lord himself, he had numerous disciples, and he even kept his own immediate kin. Some of his descendants were currently serving in the army, stationed within Jiazi Star Fortress. These excellent artifacts were perfectly suited for the Vast Lie Divine Lord to preferentially reward his own disciples and gift to his descendants.

So, for the past century, Gu Xichen had been highly favored by Lord Jie Shen, thus he managed to reach Lord Jie Shen’s presence without much effort.

Ah! Lord Shen was listening to several Immortal Officials reporting on the war situation. Suddenly, Yang Jian charged in with his army, caused mayhem, and then vanished without a trace. The forces at Star Fortress Jiazi suffered tens of thousands of Immortal Soldiers lost, yet they couldn't even manage to scratch Yang Jian. Lord Tai Ku Shen’s expression was utterly grim.

Upon seeing Gu Xichen enter, those Immortal Officials intentionally or unintentionally brought up the several thousand Immortal Soldiers—the ones initially suspected of being a decoy force—who had been chasing Gu Xichen to Star Fortress Jiazi. A black hat was thus placed squarely on Gu Xichen’s head. These officials clearly implied that Gu Xichen was colluding with Yang Jian; otherwise, why would thousands of enemy troops be pursuing him, only to be immediately followed by such a massive army under Yang Jian?

Lord Jie Shen glanced at Gu Xichen and coldly inquired, “Gu Chenzi, how do you explain this matter?”

Gu Xichen looked helplessly at those Immortal Officials, then raised the exotic beast struggling within the net in his hand.

“My Lord, those people were trying to snatch the exotic beast that I worked so hard to capture. This innate spirit beast is meant to be presented to you!”

As the innate spirit beast was revealed, the surrounding Immortal Officials fell silent. They exchanged glances, then all lowered their heads, uttering no further words.

Lord Tai Ku Shen glanced at those few trusted Immortal Officials. He knew perfectly well that they were jealous of Gu Xichen’s increasing favor over the years. That was why they intentionally tried to frame Gu Xichen today. But with Gu Xichen presenting this innate spirit beast, any baseless accusation was useless.

How could someone plotting with Yang Jian offer such an innate spirit beast to him? Such a notion was illogical even if one used their backside to think about it!

Being able to present this innate spirit beast to him proved Gu Xichen’s loyalty was commendable. A subordinate like this was truly rare!

This was an innate spirit beast, not common livestock raised for meat and hide. Any single innate spirit beast possessed the potential to grow into an existence at the peak of the Great Overarching Golden Immortal realm; they shared the same origin as the innate Star Lords of this universe! Those innate Star Lords were currently causing immense trouble for the Immortal Sect and the Heavenly Court. The value of this innate spirit beast was truly immeasurable.

Would a conspirator offer an innate spirit beast to his superior?

With this thought, Lord Tai Ku Shen glared fiercely at his trusted Immortal Officials again and spoke coldly, “Gu Chenzi’s loyalty to this Lord has never been in doubt. In the future, you must be more careful in your speech; do not dare to harm Gu Chenzi’s pure loyalty.”

After sternly warning his confidants, Lord Jie Shen switched to a smiling face and asked Gu Xichen cheerfully, “This innate spirit beast is extremely rare. Although it’s unknown how many such heavenly spiritual treasures are nurtured within the First Line Star Abyss, first, they are rarely mature; second, once they mature, they immediately rupture their mother body and flee; and third, there are always true demons guiding such exotic beasts. Therefore, ordinary people rarely see one. Chenzi, how did you obtain this little fellow?”

Lord Tai Jie Shen was overjoyed. An innate spirit beast, if raised properly, could become a powerful helper at the peak of the Great Overarching Golden Immortal level. If an immortal family gained one more ordinary Great Overarching Golden Immortal, their strength would increase exponentially. If Lord Tai Ku Shen’s lineage could gain an innate spirit beast at the peak Great Overarching Golden Immortal level, his status and prestige would change completely.

Gu Chenzi was his lucky star! Lord Great Shang already grasped this reality.

Gu Xichen respectfully placed the net on the long table before Lord Jie Shen. Lord Jie Shen quickly placed both hands over the exotic beast in the net, carefully stroking it. Lord Jie Shen’s divine sense swept over the beast and discovered that this creature was an exceedingly rare, lightning-attributed innate spirit beast. Once this lightning-attributed spirit beast matured, its strength would far surpass spirit beasts of the same rank!

Gu Xichen immediately spun a fabricated lie. Over the past century, every three to five years, he would venture out personally to collect ore to forge immortal artifacts, taking anywhere from three to five months each time. This time, he was lucky; having been out for just half a month, he saw the beast’s mother body emitting unusual spiritual light. Thus, he broke open the mother body and captured this little one.

The entire story made Lord Tai Ku Shen roar with laughter, and even the exotic beast curled up on the table was utterly confused—Did its mother body really emit strange spiritual light? Was there such a thing? I was so careful to suppress all my aura?

Could it be that I just let out a few farts in the mother body, causing spiritual energy to leak out and attract this celestial being?

The newborn, mentally immature innate spirit beast was left completely bewildered by Gu Xichen’s tale, only able to admit that it had inadvertently brought disaster upon itself. The crestfallen little spirit beast covered its eyes with its tiny paws and sobbed sorrowfully in a low voice.

Amidst the little spirit beast’s whimpering, Gu Xichen vividly recounted how he immediately thought of Lord Tai Ku Shen, how eager he was to present the spirit beast to Lord Tai Ku Shen, and how he rushed back to Star Fortress Jiazi with the little creature. However, on the way, he accidentally encountered the Immortal Soldiers and Generals pursuing him. Relying on the numerous immortal artifacts he possessed, he barely managed to shake off his pursuers and narrowly escaped with his life.

Lord Tai Ku Shen continuously stroked the little spirit beast, nodding and murmuring in praise.

When Gu Xichen finished this fabricated account, Lord Jie Shen stared at him for a moment, then smiled kindly and said, “Gu Chenzi, although your cultivation is not high, I have witnessed your loyalty to me over the past century.”

After a moment of contemplation, Lord Jie Shen patted the little spirit beast’s head and said cheerfully, “The position of Chief Commander of the Artifact Forging Camp is vacant. You may appoint a disciple from your sect to take over. My command happens to lack an Immortal Envoy of Military Affairs; I shall enter your name for that post.”

The position of Immortal Envoy of Military Affairs was extremely vital in Star Fortress Jiazi. It was responsible for the conscription, organization, and deployment arrangements of Immortals from the various Immortal Sects across all star domains under the Fortress’s jurisdiction. Holding this post, any Immortal listed in the registry of Star Fortress Jiazi, even a high-ranking Immortal like a Great Overarching Golden Immortal, had to obediently follow his orders.

If displeased, the Immortal Envoy of Military Affairs could issue a decree ordering a Great Overarching Golden Immortal and all his disciples to attack the Hao Yuan Heavenly Pass, while also sending greetings to Yang Jian’s relatives. If displeased, the Immortal Envoy of Military Affairs could compel an entire Immortal Sect to contribute all its elite members to join the main battlefront of Star Fortress Jiazi.

The rank was not high, but the power wielded was immense.

The Immortal Envoy of Military Affairs essentially consolidated crucial duties such as recruitment, logistics, and operational planning. In Star Fortress Jiazi, this was an extremely sought-after position. Especially for the Immortal Envoy of Military Affairs directly supervised by Lord Great Jie Shen, who could directly interfere with all military affairs overseen by the four quadrants of Star Fortress Jiazi. Only those considered the innermost circle of Lord Great Jie Shen’s confidantes could serve as the Immortal Envoy of Military Affairs.

By obtaining this position, all personnel movements within Star Fortress Jiazi would be entirely under Gu Xichen’s control.

After thanking Lord Jie Shen with utmost respect, Gu Xichen left Lord Jie Shen’s council hall under the eager attention of the other Immortal Officials, proceeding to handle the necessary procedures for taking over as Immortal Envoy of Military Affairs and collecting various immortal seals and official insignia.

As for Lord Jie Shen, he had already devoted all his attention to the innate spirit beast. He played with the little creature gleefully for a while, then hurriedly carried the innate spirit beast to the rear garden where he usually resided.

Under the deliberate flattery of the Immortal Officials at Star Fortress Jiazi, Gu Xichen spent only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to successfully assume the post of Immortal Envoy of Military Affairs.

The good relationships Gu Xichen had cultivated over the past century immediately came into play. Many Immortals under the Immortal Envoy of Military Affairs had benefited greatly from the Spirit Artifact Sect over the past hundred years. Consequently, after Gu Xichen took charge, none of his subordinates had any complaints; instead, they were all smiling, delighted that Gu Xichen had taken this position.

Once empowered, Gu Xichen immediately issued a decree: ‘The Immortal Sects of the Ling Xuan Star Domain guarding Mount Tai Baimen are hereby ordered to immediately dispatch all their Tai Yi Golden Immortals, Golden Immortals, and Heavenly Immortals, ranked below the Tai Bai Immortal Lord, to Star Fortress Jiazi for service. The decree specifically noted that due to the urgent military situation at Star Fortress Jiazi and the heavy losses sustained by the Immortal Soldiers and Generals, Mount Tai Baimen, demonstrating commendable loyalty, was specially selected for service at the forefront.’

In addition to conscripting Mount Tai Baimen, Gu Xichen also issued mobilization orders to the two major sects on Jiu Sha Star, Qing Tian Cliff and Ku Yi Gate, ordering their respective leaders, Lan Qingtian and True Man Mi, to bring their elite disciples to Star Fortress Jiazi for mandatory service.

This was the true power of the Immortal Envoy of Military Affairs: he could arbitrarily mobilize and summon personnel from various Immortal Sects, disregarding their internal rules.

Starting to sow chaos among the various forces in the Ling Xuan Star Domain, Gu Xichen successively issued decrees, embedding several capable disciples of the Spirit Artifact Sect into several inconspicuous but vital departments within Star Fortress Jiazi.

In the past few days, Yang Jian had been infiltrating Star Fortress Jiazi almost maniacally, killing people frequently. The original supervisors of the positions where Gu Xichen placed his people were all assassinated by Yang Jian’s covert attacks. Of course, Yang Jian had killed more Immortals than just these few, but only these few were useful to Gu Xichen.

With Yang Jian’s cooperation, Gu Xichen quietly completed the arrangements for numerous disciples of the Spirit Artifact Sect.

Perhaps Yang Jian’s indiscriminate slaughter over the past few days had finally provoked True Man Yu Ding. True Man Yu Ding, who had not appeared once in the hundred years since arriving at Star Fortress Jiazi, finally convened a military strategy meeting for Star Fortress Jiazi. As the Immortal Envoy of Military Affairs under Lord Jie Shen, Gu Xichen naturally attended the meeting.

The place True Man Yu Ding chose for the gathering was his personal cave dwelling in Star Fortress Jiazi—a residence carved into a white jade mountain peak, boasting beautiful scenery with mountains and water nearby. The residence was modest, consisting of only two main courtyards inside and out: one for discussion and one where True Man Yu Ding cultivated.

Today, in the outer courtyard, True Man Yu Ding sat cross-legged on a cushion. Lord Jie Shen and the four Great Commanders—Front, Rear, Left, and Right—of Star Fortress Jiazi sat quietly on their cushions, awaiting True Man Yu Ding’s address.

Gu Xichen stood behind Lord Jie Shen, curiously observing True Man Yu Ding.

True Man Yu Ding sensed Gu Xichen’s curious gaze. He glanced over, saw that Gu Xichen was merely a peak Golden Immortal, and immediately turned his gaze elsewhere. Such a minor Immortal was hardly worthy of True Man Yu Ding’s prolonged attention.

After a period of silence, True Man Yu Ding finally opened his palm and released a jade tablet. The palm-sized tablet emitted a ray of light, displaying a stellar map of the vicinity of Star Fortress Jiazi before them. In this star map, tens of thousands of meteors and asteroids were marked with a faint purple color.

Gu Xichen glanced at the star map and realized that these faint purple meteors and asteroids formed a massive ‘Confinement’ Formation.

This unnamed formation was vast in scale, subtly containing the imagery of the Dragon and Tiger, harmonizing with the Three Powers and the Nine Palaces, holding infinite mysteries. Even though he wasn't directly facing the grand array but observing its changes through the star map, an intangible, sticky, and immensely heavy pressure seemed to radiate outward.

It was easy to imagine that once trapped within this great formation, the internal pressure would firmly adhere to one’s physical body, making escape from the formation’s constraints impossible.

Staring at the great formation, True Man Yu Ding said solemnly, “This Daoist priest knows that all of you have harbored doubts over the past hundred years. A hundred years ago, the Left Commander, Spirit Lord Bai Long, was killed by Yang Jian. This Daoist priest was ordered here to deal with Yang Jian. But you do not know the strength of my disciple; once he lets go of his mental barriers and goes on a killing spree, no one in the Three Realms, save for a Sage, can control him.”

He glanced coldly at Lord Tai Ku Shen and the other four Commanders who seemed unconcerned, and True Man Yu Ding sneered, “This Daoist priest is not joking. Even I cannot handle my good disciple. The number one God of War in the Three Realms—once he truly commits to murder, hmph!”

With a cold snort, a vast pressure suddenly spread from True Man Yu Ding’s body.

Lord Tai Ku Shen and the others shuddered, suddenly realizing the identity of the middle-aged Daoist before them. They immediately lowered their heads, showing their deference and fear. Setting aside the disparity in strength, in terms of seniority alone, Lord Jie Shen and the others were far inferior to True Man Yu Ding.

Glancing at Lord Jie Shen and the others, True Man Yu Ding stated gravely, “Therefore, for the past hundred years, this Daoist priest has remained indoors, diligently arranging this ‘Reversal Eight-Nine Forbidden Void Great Formation’ specifically targeting Yang Jian. Now that the great formation is operational, three days from now will be the day I move to subdue Yang Jian. I require you, Lord Tai Ku Shen, to personally lead troops and lure Yang Jian to the central point of the great formation! Your task will be complete!”

With a cold smile, True Man Yu Ding let out a sharp cry, “And as for the Left Commander, Immortal Yi Mu!”

Immortal Yi Mu, a middle-aged Daoist with a green face resembling a wooden figure who had taken up the position after the death of Spirit Lord Bai Long, quickly stood up.

True Man Yu Ding commanded, “And the former Commander, Spirit Maiden Hui Xiu!”

A beautiful young girl, who looked barely fifteen or sixteen, sitting beside Lord Jie Shen, respectfully stood up and bowed to True Man Yu Ding.

True Man Yu Ding called out again, “And the Rear Commander, Immortal Jing!”

Sitting opposite Lord Jie Shen, a strapping, powerful man over two Zhang tall with a face covered in golden beard-tendrils resembling golden needles, quickly stood up.

True Man Yu Ding sneered, “Once Yang Jian is trapped, while this Daoist priest battles him, the three of you will rally your respective forces and attack the Hao Wu Heavenly Pass!”

The three Commanders answered in unison. True Man Yu Ding then spoke casually, “My two esteemed teachers believe that the Immortal Sect’s attitude toward the Heavenly Mansion has been too passive over the years. This time, when attacking the Hao Yuan Heavenly Pass, we must strive for a single, decisive breakthrough. You three shall act according to the situation; if there is an opportunity, you may capture all the nearby Heavenly Passes as well. I only demand results; as for the process, this Daoist priest will not interfere!”

True Man Yu Ding’s instructions were clear: he permitted the three Commanders to use any means necessary to kill the enemy. The faces of the three Commanders grew stern, and they quickly acknowledged the order.

In the cave dwelling, only Huang Ling’er had not been assigned a task by True Man Yu Ding. She frowned slightly and quietly asked True Man Yu Ding, “Martial Uncle, what about Ling’er? Why has no task been assigned to me?”

True Man Yu Ding gazed deeply at Huang Ling’er, then let his eyelids droop, saying slowly, “Huang Ling’er, you… you shall remain in Martial Uncle’s residence and cultivate peacefully. For these few days, you are not to leave.”

The expressions of Lord Tai Ku Shen and the others changed drastically. They glanced at Huang Ling’er and simultaneously lowered their heads.

Huang Ling’er suddenly stood up and cried out sharply, “Martial Uncle, what do you mean by that?”

True Man Yu Ding kept his eyelids lowered, speaking slowly, word by measured word, “Your father, the Great Emperor of Mount Tai, Qi Ren Sheng, Huang Feihu, and your brother, the Third Mountain Divine General, Bing Ling Gong, Huang Tianhua—both of them have not yet escaped the Investiture of the Gods list and are still serving in the Heavenly Court. For this operation, you will obediently remain in Martial Uncle’s cave dwelling. Understand?”

Huang Ling’er’s face shifted, instantly turning deathly pale. She hissed, “Although my father and brother serve the Heavenly Mansion, they have always avoided the First Line Star Abyss, fighting the innate true demons to the death! I, Huang Ling’er…”

True Man Yu Ding decisively closed his eyes, covering his face as if suffering from a toothache, and began reciting the Tao Te Ching softly, refusing to answer Huang Ling’er.

Furious, Huang Ling’er stamped her foot and turned to walk out of the cave dwelling.

True Man Yu Ding sighed softly. His form flickered, and he suddenly appeared behind Huang Ling’er. With a single finger, he tapped the back of her head, instantly knocking her unconscious. He gestured toward her body, and a cloud of mist caught Huang Ling’er’s form, drifting her toward a cloud-bed in a corner of the dwelling. True Man Yu Ding sighed again, “Alas, alas. The complex karma involved, how could a little thing like you possibly grasp it?”

Seeing the conflicted and frustrated look on True Man Yu Ding’s face, Gu Xichen nearly burst out laughing.

From Yang Jian’s memories, Gu Xichen had learned about the entanglements and confusion among these factions—it was a tangled mess, obscure and utterly confusing, enough to give anyone a headache. Seeing the reactions of True Man Yu Ding and Huang Ling’er today confirmed it; it truly was vexing!

Huang Ling’er was Huang Feihu’s daughter? Huang Tianhua’s sister?

Since Huang Ling’er served the Immortal Sect, it was likely her master was one of the ancient Golden Immortals under the Celestial Lord Yuanshi. But Huang Feihu and Huang Tianhua’s names were still on the Investiture of the Gods list, meaning they could only serve the Heavenly Mansion!

The Immortal Sect and the Heavenly Mansion were already in a terrible state of conflict, yet one family was split between the two opposing sides—what an entanglement!

Interesting, interesting, too interesting!

If just the Huang family was this conflicted, then Yang Jian must have a head full of complications, and who else?

Gu Xichen’s inner joy was indescribable.

True Man Yu Ding sighed again and sent orders for Lord Jie Shen and the others to prepare carefully for the battle.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

Early that morning, Lord Jie Shen personally blew a horn crafted from dragon horn, summoning all the troops directly under his command at Star Fortress Jiazi. Countless Immortals discarded their robes and gowns, donning immortal armor, fitting their helms, and equipping murderous weapons. They surged out from their various cave dwellings throughout Star Fortress Jiazi, converging above the fortress.

In an instant, ten thousand Immortals gathered, their auspicious lights and radiant aura drifting tens of thousands of miles away.

Thousands of massive Cloud Star Skiffs, escorted by hundreds of thousands of small star skiffs several li long, sped over. Numerous Immortals boarded the skiffs, driving their escape lights toward Hao Yuan Heavenly Pass to launch their assault.

Outside Star Fortress Jiazi, the armies of the Front, Rear, and Left Commanders had also begun to assemble.

War clouds thickened; the great battle was imminent.