Planet NT-NE-Sc7-SS11-P7 usually sported a cheerful green-tinted sky. But today was an exceptional day, unique even, considering the impact of the changes that would take place in the solar system after the current occupants of the planet succeeded in accomplishing their purpose.

The sky today was full of black smoke, smeared with navy blue botches that resembled the sea of stars twinkling above in a dark night.

Mechanical titans speared their numerous protrusions through the highest of the clouds, creating the appearance of a gargantuan mountain occupying a significant portion of the planet's surface, visible even from outer space.

The occupants operating these mountains of metal were a diverse bunch. From vaguely humanoids working on minuscule projects, to hundred-limbed cylindrical creatures toiling amidst innumerable levers and switches...this construction consisted of flesh as much as it consisted of metal.

The entire planet was shuddering as the machines operating on its surface shifted gradually, falling into position, taking the shape of a composite nightmare, just as intended.

Li Qi, tired of watching this scene, turned away from the window of his luxurious cabin. His servants were still cleaning up the fluids on the floor carefully. He hadn't 'bled' in a very long time. Even one small stain of his body fluids could kill any of them. Their work ethics required the utmost meticulousness.

'This has to be kept a secret,' Li Qi had repeatedly warned them. It had been a mistake to bring these inexperienced servants along, but he hadn't been given a choice, truly.

Monarch Li Huolong the fifth couldn't have overseen a catastrophe from such an unexpected angle. Even he, a half-step Monarch, hadn't sensed the imminent danger until it struck him square in his foundation.

Backlash from attempting to erase the memories of a physique transformation realm human!

It wasn't as if younglings of powerful clans didn't walk around with such protection from their elders. Defensive measures against ethereal attacks like his were common. However, what horrified him right now was the fact that...he couldn't figure out what type of defense he had encountered back then.

He had, in fact, been injured by his own attack, as if the person he had attacked did not even exist, and he had merely occupied an external soulless vessel before attacking the same vessel in a suicidal move.

There had been no reaction, no defense, no obstruction to hold him back, warn his senses, or confound his mind.

Since when has humans in the neutral territory become this terrifying in incorporeal combat? He hadn't sensed a single cultivator on that planet whose cultivation rivaled his own. So who could have been behind such a technique?

Li Qi was lost in his conundrum, absentmindedly levitating a cylinder of soul-nourishing chemicals when a sudden message from the Monarch arrived.

Oh good! He was just about to open the communication channel as well. The monarch must be made aware of such an anomaly near her excellency!

Li Qi opened the subspace portal that had asked for his permission under the Monarch's name, a spatial channel known only to the two of them.

A flower fell off from the spatial granule through the tiny opening, alongside a note. Written by hand, the note exuded nobility, grace, and power via its exquisite penmanship.

The note said-

'This flower is the millennium orchid, containing the essence of immortality and a thousand heavenly dao. It must be harvested and eaten as soon as it has bloomed, or all of its properties will be lost. Only the worthy can truly digest it."

Li Qi picked up the flower, having recognized it at first glance.

Known as the Dark Dancing Maiden, this orchid was the first of its species, grown fully on his home planet. It ranked among the top ten on the list of poisonous herbs. An entire petal of this flower could kill a cultivator at the peak of the soul transformation realm, poisoning their body, soul, and mind simultaneously.

Monarch Li Huolong had an...odd sense of humor, not that he minded. Li Qi put the flower in his mouth and chewed on it without hesitation.

The first stream of the juice its petals produced contained enough data to drive mortals and low-level cultivators insane in a millisecond.

The second stream of taste carried a code only he could decipher fast enough. Understanding the message, Li Qi chewed a third and a fourth time, each producing a jarring sensation inside his mind, and then he waited patiently, keeping his mouth stock still.

The combined juice and his own saliva created a new liquid, producing a profound taste that carried only one piece of information.

"Lord Crimsontide may have escaped. Abort your mission, and bring the lady home as soon as you can."

It took Li Qi a second to recall who Lord Crimsontide was. It wasn't a name he had heard in a while.

"Heavens be damned! " He cursed as the realization hit him. Half a second later, his quarters were emptied, his servants sent away to safety. Li Qi himself damaged his own body to forcefully teleport to the fifth planet of the solar system.

* * * *

At the end of it all, Han Xuhan had, once again, ended up getting what he wanted.

The full weight allotment scheme of the celestial gateway spell, in exchange for Yuen Zhou's agreement to share her Tenacious Tentacle technique with...Hai Yin Zhe.

She would not only let the little snake learn alongside her, she had even gone out of her way to state that she would personally help the little snake understand Kong Ye's teachings if Han Xuhan could bring her the allotment map within 3 days.

In fact, Han Xuhan distinctly felt that he had wasted an opportunity by asking her to agree to that instead of something more valuable. She seemed more than happy to run the experiment on Hai Yin Zhe. Perhaps she would have agreed to that request even if the circumstances hadn't forced her to.

Somewhat miffed, Han Xuhan returned back to his hut, with the implications of Yuen Zhou's behaviour circling around his mind.

She had lied to Kong Ye, at least partially. Whoever the other party were, they were holding a card against Yuen Zhou somehow. Han Xuhan had obviously attempted to learn what it was. But Yuen Zhou had merely answered, "actually it's me who needs the map, martial brother. It hasn’t got anything to do with the invaders, don’t worry."

Naturally, Han Xuhan had his doubts. But he hadn’t voiced them, knowing fully well that further digging wouldn’t result into anything beneficial for him.

It seemed like a win-win situation for him regardless of whether he could do the job or not. Now, he simply needed to delve into the matter of this map from Xuan Zi. Was it something to be kept a top-secret, carrying confidential information?

That would make things rather tricky.

Nevertheless, he had managed to deal with the most difficult one of his martial siblings. Mu Ran could obviously be managed with some bullshit. And he doubted Xiao Wu would disagree with his proposal to let Zhanxian learn the third form of the technique- the Astral Warbeast form.

Sitting inside his hut, Han Xuhan fell down a deep rabbithole of concerns. Just as usual, too many things were happening at once to keep track of, too many ways to endanger his existence lying dormant in every step he made, too many factors outside his control controlling his fate.

It was already noontime, and he was hungry. Summoning the three minions, he instructed Zhanxian and Tun Shi Tian to cook up a meal using the last of their stored ingredients. Accompanied by a happily hissing Hai Yin Zhe, he made a detour around the sect, observing their progression so far in adapting to the atmosphere of the tournament.

On his way, he had to take cover to avoid another flood. Thankfully, the mountain peaks in the periphery had delegated a team of disciples to observe the seawater below and warn the rest of the sect the moment they saw the water moving unnaturally.

However, he knew that the floods were just an appetizer. The real disasters were yet to strike. The sect had to be warned...

Han Xuhan asked around and came to learn that the leading disciples of each mountain peak had constructed a central meeting pavilion for convenience.

Approaching close to the central field, Han Xuhan noticed a growing crowd. Alongside many others, he rushed inside the crowd and tried to push his way through.

Sadly, he was physically too weak to move anyone by force.

"EWW! A CENTIPEDE! AHHHAGH!"

Screaming in a high-pitched voice, Han Xuhan threw little Zhe at a trio of fairly weak disciples ahead of him.

In less than a second, the crowd in front of him fell apart trying to find the horrifyingly large, ugly 'centipede', which he had already summoned back into his dao tower. Unable to find this creature of hell which had magically disappeared inside the crowd, everyone tried their best to distance themselves from each other, and Han Xuhan gracefully, fearlessly walked on towards his destination.

As the last few disciples in front of him moved away, Han Xuhan found the center of the crowd's interest...

It was Luo Yi's spirit beast.