Zhao Xing and the Carlos Family had been at odds for a long time, dating all the way baack then, he was too weak. Even when the territory secured by Great Zhou was destroyed by Carlos Family's agent, Lord Rainbow Moon, he could only swallow the loss.
At the time, the Empire's Great Barren Expansion Project hadn't even started. That conflict over the Path of Death Stars didn't amount to much.
Later on, Zhao Xing bought the development rights to the Ancient Path of Annihilated Stars directly from Ruyin Carlos.
Ruyin Carlos once sent people to approach Zhao Xing, hoping to get back into the project and claim a share of the profits. But Zhao Xing rejected them without hesitation.
He already had Emperor Hongshan, Five Venom Emperor, Emperor Lushan, and Zuo Qiyu invested in the venture.
And during the thirty-two Dao Conventions, even Bowe had shown up. There was no way to cause any trouble at that point.
Afterward, the Carlos Family sought backing from the Martial God Hall's Meng Wu. Zhao Xing thought that would finally end their schemes.
But according to the intel in front of him, once Zhao Xing's main body disappeared and his avatars simply followed preset plans, the Carlos Family started moving again.
Why? Because the profits generated from the Ancient Path of Annihilated Stars were massive—so huge they caught the eye of a Carlos Elder.
And since Zhao Xing, the true controller, was missing, during those two thousand years of absence, the Carlos Family made two major moves.
They tried to push both Great Zhou and Zhao Xing out, hoping to take a share of the project for themselves.
"Ji Si, what's the deal with this intel?" Zhao Xing immediately found Ji Si and asked about what happened back then.
"Grand Shennong, back then, both the Five Venom and Hongshan were still working to break through to the half-god realm, and the Carlos Family was already a powerful half-god clan."
"In the end, I had to ask Meng Wu of the Martial God Hall for help. Only with his intervention did we survive that crisis."
"After that, we weren't hit by military attacks again. But things escalated economically," Ji Si recalled.
"The Carlos Family used their massive capital advantage to start acquiring upstream and downstream industries connected to Great Zhou, both domestically and abroad. They even bought up our debts at inflated prices."
"They launched a massive commercial siege on us."
"During the two hundred middle years of the year 1198 in the Second Epoch of the Barren Era, nearly all our key supplies for the Ancient Path of Annihilated Stars—like Dao soldier materials, pills, forging resources, and weaving bureau products—skyrocketed in price. Only raw plants, soldier breeds, and starland materials supplied by Primordial Hill didn't spike. The rest went up by more than fifty times."
Ji Si sighed. "If it hadn't been for that massive harvest from the cave mansion and the emergency funds you left behind, we would've collapsed in the first wave."
"Afterward, the Great Zhou Chamber of Commerce raised Emperor Bishui's investment stake. With help from your allies in the Primordial Realm, we finally stabilized our basic supply chain. But the project progress definitely slowed."
Zhao Xing's expression darkened. Military attacks could be blocked by Emperor Meng Wu, but this kind of financial attack on Great Zhou was beyond even Meng Wu's reach.
In this capital war, a resource-rich family like Carlos had no trouble shorting Great Zhou.
"We reduced our debt load and cut back a lot of businesses. We focused on steady, grounded operations and gave the Carlos Family no more chances. It was hard, but we held out for fifty years."
"Then their attacks intensified. This time, even Senior Zuo and Senior Lushan had to step in. Hongshan and Five Venom had to come out of closed-door cultivation too."
"Even so, we were still on the losing end. Many projects were halted. Only the one exploration route you originally planned, which was done in partnership with the Martial God Hall, was unaffected."
As Zhao Xing merged the memories from his 'Annihilated Stars Avatar,' a brutal financial war unfolded in his mind.
The Carlos Family, being a founding half-god clan, had undeniable influence. This wasn't just a struggle between Great Zhou and Carlos—it was a clash between rising and old aristocracy.
Great Zhou might've gotten rich overnight after unearthing more than three thousand cave mansions, but compared to a clan like Carlos, they weren't even close to being financial giants. Even with Five Venom, Zuo Qiyu, and Hongshan rallying their networks, they were still outmatched.
At its worst, the Dao formations and mechanisms on the Ancient Path of Annihilated Stars cost one hundred thousand Five Emperor Coins in daily losses. It was like watching an emperor go bankrupt every single day.
The Carlos Family used this bloodless killing method to force Great Zhou and Zhao Xing into compromising and letting them join the project.
"But things turned around seventy-eight years later," Ji Si said. "Two Origin Realms and one Annihilation Realm were discovered along the Ancient Path."
"That was the second major harvest since the cross-realm ship and cave mansion inheritances."
"Ten years after that, I, Emperor Hongshan, Five Venom Emperor, and Emperor Lushan all broke into the half-god realm."
"With that power and the new discoveries, the Carlos Family knew they could no longer kill us economically. Plus, with Emperor Meng Wu mediating, the crisis was resolved."
Zhao Xing recalled that invisible war and felt a cold sweat. "Great Zhou really was fated to survive. If they hadn't discovered those three micro-worlds in time, it might've all collapsed."
"Yeah, fate really didn't want us to die," Ji Si muttered. "If we'd been just a little slower, it would've been over."
"We made it through, but we also saw how powerful the Carlos Family really is. That's why we just filed away this intel. We had no strength to strike back."
"Carlos Family has gone too far," Zhao Xing said, immediately summoning his core allies through causal communication.
Whoosh—
The Five Venom Venerable, Hongshan Venerable, and Lushan Venerable all sent down causal avatars.
When they saw Ji Si, they each gave her a nod.
"Kid, before we talk about Carlos, there's something else you need to hear first," Five Venom Venerable said, pointing at Ji Si.
"Back when your true self was missing, the half-god resources that were supposed to be reserved for you—one share of that was given to Ji Si. I, Emperor Hongshan, Emperor Bishui, and Zuo Qiyu all agreed on it."
"He led Great Zhou through nearly all of the cause-level battles during that siege campaign."
"He even broke through his ninth True Spirit Tribulation because of it."
Zhao Xing was stunned. "Ji Si, why didn't you say anything?"
Ji Si shook his head. "Grand Shennong, I was just lucky. It wasn't anything worth bragging about."
"Ji Si doesn't take credit, but we have to speak up for him. Otherwise, you might get the wrong idea," said the Five Venom Venerable.
"Exactly," Emperor Bishui nodded. "That business war stretched across multiple industries and affected nearly half the empire. Seven or eight top-tier star systems were impacted."
"Every move in commerce ties into countless fates."
"Back then, in Great Zhou, Ji Si was the one making the major decisions!"
"I, Hongshan, and Five Venom only played supporting roles. The development rights belonged to Great Zhou and you."
"No matter what, all the karma involved in those business actions would reflect—or even rebound—onto Great Zhou. No one else could carry that weight."
Emperor Hongshan added, "At that time, Great Zhou had only three paths: compromise with the Carlos Family and become their lapdog, stand firm and risk total destruction, or survive it—and surviving meant overcoming a True Spirit Tribulation."
"When countless fates were tied to Ji Si, one wrong decision could've destroyed thousands of families. That kind of karmic backlash was terrifying."
Zhao Xing suddenly saw the image in his mind—Ji Si standing alone in the Heavenly Fate Pavilion at night, carrying the burden of countless lives, enduring the attacks of countless karmic lines.
That kind of karmic battle wasn't any weaker than the one he had faced when Qing Yuzi, Wei Tianchen, Bowe, the demon race, and the Celestial Master's Manor had all fought over his fate.
On countless nights, Ji Si had to retreat into dreams to heal and kept waking in cold sweats.
Even in the middle of all that, he still took time to ask Yang Baihe to search for Zhao Xing's whereabouts, even contacted Wang Tianzhi. Thinking of this, Zhao Xing sighed deeply. "Ji Si, you really went through a lot."
He didn't bow. There was no need for that between them. Their bond didn't need words.
Of course, surviving that battle had its rewards. It pushed Ji Si through his ninth True Spirit Tribulation and made him a half-god Fate Officer!
Later, he used the resources to advance further, becoming a Tenth-Rank Fate Officer and a Ninth-Rank Historian in just over two thousand years.
"I was just lucky I didn't fail the Grand Shennong and His Majesty's expectations," Ji Si said lightly, as if those years had passed like a breeze.
"If we suffered, there's no reason not to strike back," Zhao Xing said, looking at Ji Si, Five Venom, Hongshan, and the others. "Now that I'm back, teachers—are you willing to back me in taking on the Carlos Family again?"
"My good disciple, I've been waiting for you to say that!" Five Venom Emperor shouted with glee. "Those hairless bastards forced me out of seclusion once! They trampled all over me! I've held that anger in for over a thousand years! I've never endured this kind of humiliation before!"
Five Venom was fired up. "Hey Hongshan, are you in or not?"
"I haven't fought anyone in a long time. Peace is best," Hongshan Venerable said slowly.
"Cut the crap. Don't think I forgot how you earned that title 'Eight-Armed Demon God' back in the day."
Hongshan sighed. "That was a long time ago."
"Less talking. Are you in or not?"
Hongshan turned to Zhao Xing. "Zhao Xing, of course I'll help you."
"But I belong to the Primordial Hill. It's tricky for me to get directly involved in internal empire matters. Like we said just now—Great Zhou and you are the main players here."
"You'll have to face the Carlos Family head-on."
With that, his stance was clear. He was willing to support them—but whether Zhao Xing could handle it was another question.
Without another word, Zhao Xing began sticking needles into himself.
As he did, he said, "Teachers, seniors—I'm currently a Ninth-Rank half-god, but—boom!"
A surge of fierce aura erupted and swallowed Zhao Xing. Then, a giant black hand appeared with a singularity in its palm.
The next second, Zhao Xing transformed. With horns on his head and thick hair covering his muscular body, sacred patterns of the Nine Marsh God wrapped around his limbs as he walked out of the flames.
"Now, I'm a Tenth-Rank half-god! I can maintain this state for at least three days. This is the effect of the Heaven-Transforming Divine Needle."
Zhao Xing knew that if they were going to team up for a fight, he had to prove he was strong enough. So he immediately revealed some of his trump cards.
"And that's not all!" Zhao Xing roared. Crimson lotus, blue lotus, Azure Abyss, and Mystic Soul powers surged out all at once.
His Nine Marsh God body transformed again. His fur and horns retracted. His form became more humanoid. The muscle contours, aura, and origin fluctuations became even more refined.
"Now I'm peak Eleventh-Rank!" His eyes burned with confidence.
This power came from the fusion of four types of magical energy. Only a Nine Marsh God body could handle such a boost from all four sources at once.
"I can maintain this state for over half a month," Zhao Xing said.
"That's not all—I also inherited everything from Wei Tianchen, including the full Five Divine Medicines set."
"Hongshan teacher, would you like to see what happens when I take the pills?"
Even though Emperor Hongshan was just a causal avatar, he couldn't help being stunned by Zhao Xing's current power.
Peak Eleventh-Rank! That was on par with his own level!
Only one step behind Five Venom Emperor and Emperor Lushan.
And if he took the pills? Hongshan had heard of Wei Tianchen's Five Divine Medicines.
At maximum potency, they could boost power by three whole ranks!
"That's enough, that's enough—" Emperor Hongshan quickly stopped Zhao Xing from taking the pill. Using a divine pill just to prove a point would be way too wasteful.
"You actually inherited Wei Tianchen's legacy?" Venerable Lushan looked equally curious about Zhao Xing's experiences. "He roamed through multiple eras. Can't believe he died at your hands."
"No, senior, I didn't kill him," Zhao Xing shook his head and reverted to human form. "But the whole story isn't something I can share right now."
"Hmm." Venerable Lushan nodded. "I've got no objections either."
As long as Zhao Xing wasn't acting out of impulse, he was willing to support him. After all, they had endured for over a thousand years—there was no rush. Zhao Xing's safety came first.
Emperor Bishui asked, "Zhao Xing, so what's your plan?"
Once they were all on the same page, it was time to talk strategy.
Zhao Xing held up the two intel reports. "The Carlos Family hit us one way, we'll hit them back the same way. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth."
"They ambushed us once—so I'll return the favor. Once the Yan God Army or higher-ups step in, we'll switch to economic warfare."
Zhao Xing understood the Red Star Great Emperor's stance. He didn't interfere in fights below the divine realm. To him, unless someone was an absolute monster, he wouldn't even glance their way. Conflict kept the empire flexible and stopped social classes from becoming rigid.
Zhao Xing had seen some of this firsthand from his time in Yushenzhou.
But the empire had more than one divine-level figure. The Great Emperor, a Divine King, wouldn't intervene. Other gods, however, might.
Like the Martial God of the Yan God Star System. If the conflict got too big, they might step in. The actions of Banwu in the past made it clear. Banwu acted on the Yan God's will. It was only after Banwu and Fufu both got involved that the Carlos Family was forced to shift from military to economic tactics.
The same standard should apply to both sides. Zhao Xing didn't expect special treatment—just fairness.
And he believed he deserved that now. Gu Luohe's earlier words had given him that confidence—he was now on the shortlist for divine ascension.
"The first phase will just be me and Great Zhou," Zhao Xing said. "For now, only you teachers and seniors will know."
This set the stage clearly. Whether karmic battles, military ones, or future economic ones, Zhao Xing and Great Zhou would lead.
If Venerable Hongshan or the Five Venom Venerable were the main force, it would change the nature of the conflict.
Five Venom had no family or faction—he held authority in the Primordial Realm. If he led, it would become a fight between two official powers, which wasn't acceptable.
If it were Venerable Hongshan or Lushan, it'd become a foreign affairs issue.
Since Zhao Xing was the one picking the fight, he had to shoulder the responsibility.
"The second phase, I'll call in my partners. I've got people ready. Some will bring manpower, others will bring funds or resources."
"Then we'll see whose head is harder—Carlos's or ours."
Then, the old monsters, Zhao Xing, and Ji Si began hashing out the details.
"First, let's clarify—are we targeting a core figure of the Carlos Family or just a branch?"
"No limits," Zhao Xing replied. "We're going after the whole Carlos Family."
"Their old patriarch is at least a Fifteenth-Rank half-god," Lushan noted. "He's got plenty of divine items too."
"That old fossil's practically half-dead!" Five Venom sneered. "You think he dares fight at full power? At his age, if he really goes all-out, he'll trigger the Sixteenth True Spirit Tribulation on the spot!"
"Besides, we'll never have a direct confrontation with him. By phase two, he won't get involved at all."
"Zhao Xing, how far are you planning to go with this? What's your end goal?"
"The Carlos Family has five main branches. Each of his five sons is a half-god." Zhao Xing said flatly, "In phase one, if I can kill a few of them, great—but it can't happen inside the empire."
"In phase two, I'll hit their core industries. I'll draw a line for those five sons—either serve us like dogs, or get wiped out completely."
"Good, very good. But that means your phase-one plan has to hit hard."
"Heh… I oversee a lot of operations in the Primordial Realm. Just so happens I know where two of his sons will be headed," Five Venom Venerable said with a sinister grin.
Time: 77 realm-star years before the Third Era of the Desolate Domain.
Location: Talam Dynasty, a vassal of the empire, Yunni Star System.
At that moment, on the capital administrative star of the Yunni System, two massive world-ships broke through the boundary and descended.
The Yunni Star was brimming with spiritual energy. Spirit mountains, continents, and lakes were neatly arranged, almost artificial in their design.
The whole Yunni Realm Star was celebrating, crowds of people cheering everywhere.
Prince Lam stood atop the royal palace, looking down with a proud and eager smile.
Because today, the Talam Dynasty was finally going to be officially integrated into the mighty Red Star Empire.
It was the result of over two thousand years of relentless labor by the emperors of Talam and their people.
After all, their strongest fighter was only a lord of the Wheel level. In the Simoon Domain, that wasn't enough to gain a foothold.
"They say the empire calls the Simoon Domain the Desolate Domain… I wonder how vast and magnificent the world outside really is," Prince Lam thought, filled with wonder.
He was born late. Currently only at the second Origin Stage, he had never left his homeworld.
Their information channels were restricted. What they knew was limited. Even their star mirrors were basic.
"To citizens of the empire, getting a star mirror and access to real information is easy. But for a backwater dynasty like ours, it takes a lifetime of struggle…"
"Luckily, today, two powerful half-gods from the empire are coming to our Talam Star."
"We'll soon be able to go study in the empire. Feel the rich spiritual energy soak into our bodies, wield mighty Dao soldiers that can shatter a sun with one strike, and learn all kinds of powerful, wondrous techniques…" Prince Lam dreamed out loud.
He looked up at the sky's boundary wall. Through the visible boundary, two massive fleets were approaching from the stars.
They were said to belong to a prestigious elder family from the mighty empire—the Carlos Family.
It was this benevolent family that had the authority to integrate them.
His father and royal uncle had caught the eye of two of the family's half-gods. Today, they were descending in person, not only to accept their dynasty as a vassal of the empire, but also to take his father and uncle as disciples—a moment of great honor.
"I'll be there to pay respects too. Which set of ceremonial robes should I wear?"
"Hmm, I heard the Carlos Family is bringing some brilliant young women along. If one of them takes a liking to me…"
Prince Lam began calling for his servants to help him prepare and dress.
The grand ceremony was about to begin when the sun's orbit reached its peak.
Prince Lam stood at the palace gates with the welcome party, gazing up at the two approaching fleets in the sky.
"No wonder they're an empire's half-god clan… I've never seen warships like these. Just looking at them makes my chest feel tight with pressure."
"Our ascension barrier actually dispersed on its own. The twin stars that grant us Origin-level cultivation—the sun and the moon—have been frozen in place by their fleet."
As the ships became clearer, the crowd below erupted in cheers, surging like waves.
Prince Lam couldn't hold back either. He shouted, "Carlos Family! Mighty Carlos Family! Glorious empire!"
Inside the Carlos fleet's flagship, two half-gods were watching Talam Star.
They were known as the Ice Venerable and the Feather Venerable—both second-generation members of the Carlos Family and among its more well-known half-gods.
Not because they were the strongest, but because they often showed themselves in public.
"The two guys from the Talam family have rare 'Xibo Divine Blood.' Brother, I can't believe you waited this long to claim them," Feather Venerable said, glancing at his older brother, Ice Venerable.
After opening ancient paths through the Simoon Desolate Domain, the Carlos Family had discovered many local races along the way.
Talam Star happened to fall under their assigned jurisdiction.
"Thirteen hundred years ago, when I passed by, I suspected as much. So I gave them a few artifacts and secret techniques," Ice Venerable said, sipping celestial wine, calm and unhurried. "Now, those two have grown up. Their bloodline is more evident."
"Later, I had a friend from the Primordial Realm check their life-origin Dao charts. Turned out their patterns were very similar to a divine race from the Tianze Star Region."
Tianze Star Region was a spiritual territory discovered after the empire opened the Simoon Domain. While not as developed as the Xuanling Star Region, it was only a matter of time before it too was conquered.
"Now that they've broken through to the lord-level, it's time to bring them with us. You take one, I take the other."
"Let's see if we can awaken more of that divine blood."
"Feather Mother, don't keep any secrets later."
"Brother, we're siblings. If I find anything, of course I'll tell you," Feather Venerable promised.
But in his heart, he was thinking something else entirely:
'If we uncover something special about this divine blood, it could lead to godhood. No way I'm sharing that!'
'The path to becoming a god is steep and deadly. If my brother wants to be naïve, I won't stop him.'
"When the apprentice ceremony is done, you handle the boring administrative stuff," Ice Venerable said casually. "Bring them to our family's domain. Just pick any planet to house them."
"Any planet?"
"Yeah. After all these years, only the two Talam brothers show signs of divine blood. No one else here is worth the effort."
"Where are you headed, brother?" Feather Venerable asked.
"A Black Abyss has appeared in the Black Heaven Desolate Domain," Ice Venerable lowered his voice. "Have you heard of the Black Abyss?"
"Brother, I don't even know what you're talking about. What's there?" Feather Venerable looked confused.
"You really don't know?" Ice Venerable frowned.
"I really don't," Feather Venerable replied sincerely.
"Alright, don't repeat this. I overheard Father discussing it—this is classified."
"Of course."
"Deep in the Black Abyss, there's said to be an altar. You can offer sacrifices there to some kind of god and gain power. Maybe even become a god yourself."
"What?! Something like that exists?" Feather Venerable was stunned. "What do you offer in sacrifice?"
"No idea. The ritual components are still unclear. Anyway—let's stop here. This borders on taboo. We shouldn't talk about evil gods."
Ice Venerable suddenly went quiet.
"Right, not something we should discuss. All evil gods must die," Feather Venerable said aloud, though his mind was racing. 'Sacrifice? Could I really… become a god?'
Prince Lam stared at the sky, shouting with excitement.
But then everything went dark.
He couldn't see a thing.
He vaguely recalled the moment before he lost his sight—how the moon star dimmed as if extinguished, and the sun star suddenly swelled in size.
He was confused, unsure what had just happened.
The next second, the light returned—but it was blinding.
Then Prince Lam saw a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.
The boundary wall of Talam Star had completely vanished, leaving the planet fully exposed under the starlight.
Among the powerful, godlike imperial fleets floating in space, the largest flagship had been split clean in half.
As for the rest of the fleet—it was just gone.
Countless meteor-like fragments filled the sky, blotting out the stars.
Prince Lam could barely breathe.
He looked to the other side of the sky and saw, among what looked like scattered gray stone stars, a figure cloaked in flame, surrounded by nine rings of violet sigils.
This towering form looked like a war god.
In its hand, it held one of the Carlos Family's world-ships.
"T-this is…" Prince Lam collapsed to the ground.
In the void, Zhao Xing, now transformed into a descendant of the Nine Marsh God, frowned at his palm.
He had captured one of the Carlos Family's world-ships—with both half-gods trapped inside.
Sneaking up on these two wasn't actually difficult.
They were the kind who liked to appear publicly, and their movements were often open knowledge.
While this trip hadn't been announced, Wudu knew about it.
Feather Venerable and Ice Venerable hadn't bothered to hide it at all.
After all, who would dare ambush the world-ship of a Red Star Empire half-god clan? You'd have to be insane.
So Zhao Xing had simply hidden a straw puppet clone along their route.
Once they arrived, he teleported in using distance-free teleportation.
In his transformed state, his realm surpassed theirs. The ambush succeeded instantly, and he destroyed most of the fleet.
Only this one ship remained—the one the two half-gods were aboard. Its core chamber, though, was protected by a divine object.
'No wonder I can't crush it.'
'Thankfully, it's not a Dao divine weapon but a strength-type divine artifact.'
Zhao Xing could feel a scalding, forceful energy resisting his grip.
This meant the chamber wasn't protected by some fundamental Dao, but rather by the lingering power of a god-level being.
And it wasn't hard to guess who.
He looked closely and saw words carved on the chamber: "Discipline. Restraint. Moderation."
Beneath them was a signature: Martial God Yan Ao. Written in the first year of the Desolate Domain Era.
"Yan Martial God's words?" Zhao Xing's face darkened.
To think this chamber bore the calligraphy of the Martial God Yan Ao.
This wasn't a Dao artifact, but it surpassed one in defense!
Yan Martial God was still alive. Normally, Dao divine weapons were stronger than strength-based ones. But it all depended on who had left the power behind.
There was no way Zhao Xing could break this chamber.
"Audacious fiend! Do you know who we are?! How dare you attack us!"
"Where did this lunatic come from?! We're from the Carlos Family—"
Feather Venerable and Ice Venerable had been startled at first. But seeing Zhao Xing couldn't break the cabin, they quickly calmed down and started threatening him.
"You don't know who I am? I'm Zhao Xing!" he growled. "The one you bullied!"
"Zhao Xing? You became a half-god? That's impossible—" Both of them were stunned.
The power Zhao Xing displayed now was terrifying.
But when had he even reached half-god? Wasn't his main body supposed to be missing?
"Over a thousand years ago, you two sent people to kill my clone overseeing the Path of Annihilated Stars. What, forgot already?" Zhao Xing sneered.
"Zhao Xing, stop making baseless accusations," Feather Venerable snapped. "We never did anything like that. You, on the other hand, ambushed imperial nobles—this is a major violation of empire law."
"Exactly! Did you see the words on this cabin?" Ice Venerable warned. "That's the power left by Martial God Yan Ao. The Martial God Palace will be on its way. If you surrender now, you might still have a chance."
"Don't talk to me about empire law," Zhao Xing said coldly. "First off, this isn't empire territory. Your integration isn't complete. That makes this the Desolate Domain. Under exploration regulations, I can kill you freely."
"Second, when empire law couldn't protect me back then, why should I expect it to protect you now?"
"Break!" he roared.
Four-colored mana surged through his body, sending his power soaring.
The cabin cracked and groaned under the pressure of his grip.
The tearing screeches of elemental claws scraping the cabin walls echoed through space, making the two half-gods inside break into cold sweat.
Zhao Xing had to move fast. He couldn't let the Martial God Palace get involved.
He had to kill these two. Or at least cripple them before they could resist.
"Zhao Xing, don't be rash! You have a bright future—"
"We can talk, Zhao Xing! You're alive, aren't you? What happened back then is in the past—we can reconcile now…"
The two kept trying to reason with him.
"Reconcile?" Zhao Xing's voice rose in fury. "You call that reconciliation? What a joke."
Boom boom boom boom!
In a blink, Zhao Xing unleashed over one hundred million innate secret techniques.
Though the carved words were blurring, the characters for "Yan Martial God" remained indestructible.
A faint golden light emerged from the script, forming a kind of formation. Zhao Xing could feel a real power crossing space to respond.
Bang!
After the last strike, Zhao Xing was blasted backward. He was knocked loose.
He shot forward again—but just then, the cabin erupted with golden light.
In the nearby void, a figure appeared.
"Ban Wu?" Zhao Xing's heart sank. He hadn't expected Meng Wu to show up here.
"We're saved!" Feather Venerable and Ice Venerable immediately lit up with hope.
But Ban Wu didn't even look at Zhao Xing. He turned toward the two trapped half-gods and said,
"Feather, Ice. Back then, our master left these words: Benevolence, righteousness, trust, courage, propriety, filial piety, loyalty. And the warning to guard against arrogance, indulgence, and decadence."
"But now only a few of those remain. What a disgrace to our teacher. By his order, I'm here to retrieve the remaining divine power."
"What?"
Feather Venerable and Ice Venerable were stunned.