When the Maoshan Sect Master inquired who had issued the kill order for Gu Yuezi, the Second Elder quickly responded with deep reverence, "Reporting to the Master, we do not know who originally instructed Gu Yuezi to kill. However, we later found a note with a phone number in the corner of this room's wall. We immediately mobilized our contacts in Hong Kong and traced the number backward, discovering that its owner was a prominent figure in Hong Kong's high society."

"Oh! This person is a celebrity in Hong Kong's elite circles. Just who is he?" The Maoshan Sect Master spoke calmly, yet a potent killing intent began to emanate from his body.

"Reporting to the Master, this man’s surname is Yang, named Yang Xiong. He was previously a key minister in Hong Kong's Li Group. The Old Superman and his two sons were not on good terms previously, making Yang Xiong the most likely candidate to take over the Li Group after the Old Superman retired. However, the now semi-retired Old Superman sought out Liu Hui and underwent that miraculous rejuvenation surgery at his Starry Sky Group. Suddenly invigorated and youthful, the Old Superman resumed command of the Li Group. With this turn of events, Yang Xiong's dream of leading the Li Group was shattered. Given this context, Yang Xiong likely harbors deep resentment and hired Gu Yuezi to assassinate Liu Hui." The Second Elder laid out all the intelligence he had gathered, along with his own conjecture.

"Dammit, this man dares to use money to hire Gu Yuezi for murder, leading to Gu Yuezi's untimely death! I will never let him go. Second brother, where does this Yang Xiong live?" the Maoshan Sect Master stated coldly.

Yang Xiong had been experiencing terrible misfortune these past few years. Several years prior, he was on the cusp of managing the entire Li Group, positioned to inherit its stewardship after the Old Superman stepped down. But who would have thought the Old Superman's health would miraculously recover, allowing him to reclaim control? Not only did the Old Superman strip Yang Xiong of all his authority, but he also repelled the mysterious organization that had allied with Yang Xiong to undermine the Li Group.

This sudden shift not only ousted Yang Xiong from the core of the Li Group—a position he was nearly fully in charge of—drastically lowering his social standing, but it also enraged the mysterious organization he had collaborated with. After the Old Superman fought back, that secretive group vented their fury upon Yang Xiong. Yang Xiong paid a significant price just to quell their wrath.

Initially, Yang Xiong did not know the reason for the Old Superman's sudden recovery. But later, through his channels, he learned that the Old Superman had frequently been in contact with Liu Hui of the Starry Sky Group. Following those interactions, the Old Superman's health rapidly improved. Yang Xiong immediately linked this to the medical industry in which the Starry Sky Group operated, concluding that the Old Superman's restoration was undeniably connected to the Starry Sky Group. Thus, Yang Xiong began to intensely despise Liu Hui, the boss of the Starry Sky Group, believing that without Liu Hui's company, the Old Superman would certainly not have recovered, and he himself would have completely controlled the Li Group.

Yang Xiong had previously utilized his available resources to sow seeds of discord, successfully creating a rift between the three Li family members. The Old Superman, distrustful of his two sons taking the helm, had brought Yang Xiong to the very edge of ascending to power. Alas, due to Liu Hui's intervention, all of Yang Xiong's plans dissolved.

Therefore, after being introduced by someone in the circle, Yang Xiong sought out a highly renowned assassin, intending to dispatch Liu Hui. However, after receiving the deposit, that assassin vanished without a trace. And Liu Hui remained utterly unharmed, still cheerfully making appearances everywhere.

This bizarre conclusion left Yang Xiong unsettled and suspicious. He couldn't fathom what had transpired in the interim, nor whether the assassin had actually attempted the killing or merely betrayed him. Consequently, he dared not make any further aggressive moves against Liu Hui.

Of course, by this time, Yang Xiong had learned that the Starry Sky Group had performed a true rejuvenation procedure on the Old Superman. But now, Liu Hui was at the zenith of his power; even the formidable US government hesitated to cross him. Yang Xiong dared not harbor any more resentment; his sole hope now was that Liu Hui had not discovered his past act of hiring a killer.

After returning to prominence, the Old Superman, leveraging the boom of the Starry Sky Group, successfully propelled the Li Group to new heights over several years. Furthermore, the relationship between the Li father and sons became exceptionally harmonious; Yang Xiong had no remaining avenue for advancement. He subsequently abandoned all thoughts of seizing power and profit, settling into a comfortable life as a wealthy recluse.

One evening, as Yang Xiong tossed and turned with insomnia, he suddenly heard a peculiar whooshing sound emanating from within his room. His eyes snapped open, and in the dim lamplight, he saw a spectral figure: an old Daoist priest clad in moon-white robes had materialized in his bedroom. This Daoist carried a massive coffin on his back and stared at him coldly.

Yang Xiong recoiled in shock, instantly recalling the assassin he had hired years ago. That assassin, too, had carried a coffin on his back, much like the old Daoist before him, though that man had been far younger. A terrible premonition washed over Yang Xiong. Just as he prepared to cry out for help, he discovered his entire body was paralyzed; he couldn't even open his mouth or utter a sound.

"Listen carefully; I will only ask this once. Did you hire this man years ago to assassinate Liu Hui?" the Maoshan Sect Master said coldly. Then, a photograph flew from his hand, hovering directly before Yang Xiong's eyes. Yang Xiong stared at the suspended image in absolute terror, yet remained mute. The person in the photograph was the very assassin who had taken his deposit to kill Liu Hui, only to disappear completely. Yang Xiong recognized the coffin on the man's back with unmistakable familiarity. After all, until this very night, he had never encountered another person wandering about carrying a coffin.

The Maoshan Sect Master waited for Yang Xiong's response for a long moment. Growing furious, he suddenly seemed to recall something. With a slight sweep of his sleeve, Yang Xiong found he could move and speak freely again. He stammered in terror, "Old Daoist Master, what do you intend to do?"

The Maoshan Sect Master pressed on, "Speak quickly! Did you instruct the person in this photo to kill someone named Liu Hui?"

Yang Xiong felt the terrifying aura radiating from the Maoshan Sect Master and dared not act rashly. He nodded repeatedly, saying, "Several years ago, I indeed sent this man to assassinate Liu Hui, but he suddenly vanished, and I had already paid him the deposit..."

Before Yang Xiong could finish, he saw the old Daoist form a strange hand seal. A talisman then flew from the Master's robe, rapidly burning in the air. As the talisman was consumed, a blood-red treasured sword materialized instantly.

The Maoshan Sect Master pointed a finger at Yang Xiong and commanded, "Haste!" The crimson sword shot forward, cleaving directly down upon Yang Xiong's head. Yang Xiong’s vision turned black, and then there was nothing.

The Maoshan Sect Master split Yang Xiong’s head in two, like a melon, with a single sword stroke. He then produced a bamboo tube. Tracing a circle in the air with his finger, he trapped a struggling, shadowy phantom within the ring, then sealed the circle into the tube. He growled fiercely, "You caused my son to die for nothing; therefore, I will torment you for a lifetime, ensuring you can never find peace."

Three nights later, Liu Hui arrived at the Starry Sky Science Academy. Within the secret launch complex of the research institute stood three colossal structures. Two of these immense objects were probes designed to gather data from Mars and the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The third, even more massive object was the aerial fortress that Liu Hui had long anticipated.

Chen Changsheng stood before the three structures, gazing at them with unconcealed astonishment. Meanwhile, Anqi was inside the launch control room, her personnel meticulously checking every parameter of the three objects to ensure flawless operation upon deployment.

“Director Chen, this aerial fortress is truly magnificent!” Liu Hui exclaimed from beside him.

Chen Changsheng also looked at the fortress, responding excitedly, "Boss, even now, I find it hard to believe we managed to engineer such a high-tech marvel."

Liu Hui inquired, "Director Chen, what are the specifications for this aerial fortress?"

Chen Changsheng beamed with pride, "As you can see, Boss, our aerial fortress is a semi-spherical body with a radius of two hundred meters and a height of one hundred and fifty meters. Its total mass upon lift-off is a staggering eight million tons. This behemoth is equipped with two hundred electromagnetic cannons and one hundred laser weapons. The entire fortress can accommodate five hundred military personnel for combat and living. Once airborne, it will hover between two thousand and four thousand meters above the 'Starry Sky City.' It can simultaneously defend against an attack of two thousand missiles and one thousand of the most advanced fighter jets, and engage over one hundred naval surface vessels at once. In other words, with this fortress, even if the entire force of the United States were to attack us, they could not harm us in the slightest. Of course, that applies to conventional weaponry. Should they employ nuclear ordnance, while we could certainly shoot down all the delivery systems, we would still suffer damage from the blast shockwaves of the nuclear detonations."