The chaos within the West Port Forbidden Zone seemed to come to an abrupt halt with that sky-shaking explosion.

The communication channel was flooded with thunderous applause.

At the port, whether they were nano warriors belonging to the Dawn Combat Sequence, or people scrambling onto cruise ships to escape, or even those half-buried in the sewers—everyone was cheering for that young man.

Clearly, this was the Nightmare Master's revenge, transforming Lady Yan into a Gu Worm to retaliate against society.

To speak of Gu Masters… they're just scum. No wonder they're despised by the entire Extraordinary World. Their special ascension rituals completely strip them of their humanity at high ranks, leaving them to commit atrocious, unspeakable acts.

Thus, whether it's the Ascension Alliance headed by the Ether Association, or the dark underbelly of the world:

All harbor a deep hatred for Gu Masters.

Yet, to this day, no one has been able to devise an effective countermeasure against Gu Masters.

Before Gu Jianlin intervened, everyone thought today would end in a massive casualty count.

Yet after Gu Jianlin stepped in, not a single life was lost to the Gu Worms.

The nano warriors, who had been ready to risk their lives to save the day, were ecstatic.

Even some of the worst criminals among the survivors were now raising their fists and cheering.

But the ones most humiliated were the Judgment Court members.

Councilman Zhang sat silently in the cabin, his face grim. After a second's pause, he opened his tablet, pulled up some files to review, and said, "Nie, the Deacon, this is the son Gu Ci'an left behind? Based on his record, I can only describe him as lawless. Four missions in total, all of them carried out solo?"

The first was the Joker incident.

The second was the Grave Digger Organization incident.

The third was the collective fall of several captains and the Yan brothers.

This case was so egregious, featuring rare, widespread corruption. Though it's still under investigation, the results are more or less conclusive. Even the Spirit Mediums and Divination Masters performed divinations that point to the same outcome.

Those people had indeed fallen, unable to resist the allure of the Ancient God's power.

The sole survivor, Mu Ziqing, was the most compelling evidence.

The Judgment Court could do nothing about such an outcome.

The fourth incident was the one at West Port.

"That's right."

Nie, the Deacon, dark-faced, said, "Indeed. It's always like this. While he's delivered every time so far, I must say—this guy has no sense of organization or discipline. Sheltered by the King of Qing, he acts lawlessly!"

Anyone listening could tell there was more to it and kept their mouths shut.

We couldn't do it, but he could.

That's the slap in the face.

In the past, you could dismiss him as the son of a Fallen, but now the best you can do is criticize him for lacking organization or discipline.

After all, the kid just pulled off a major victory again.

And because it involves a Gu Master, this undoubtedly has to be reported to Headquarters for the President to personally handle.

Gu Jianlin is only seventeen years old. He became an Ascender less than a month ago and has already achieved four major successes, the most recent involving a Gu Master. When this record is reported, those in the know will understand.

So even the Judgment Court wouldn't dare clamor too loudly now.

In the silence, Li Hanting stroked the wolf cub in his arms, the smile on his face slowly fading.

Just then, the arrogant voice of the Crown Prince echoed over the Omega Sequence communication channel.

Crown Prince: "Li Hanting, apparently this isn't an unsolvable problem. If someone could do it, why couldn't you? Next time, just admit if you're incapable; no need for excuses."

Jue Jian: "I second that."

Poison Master: "Luckily, I developed the antidote ahead of time; otherwise, I might've been caught in the crossfire too."

Dawn: "You guys keep chatting. I'm off to rescue people."

Nightmare: "I'm joining you."

At that moment, a round head popped out from a cruise ship in the distance, gazing toward the horizon and exclaiming, "Damn, scared me to death! I almost called for my little aunt to help earlier. These damnable Gu Masters really are dangerous. By the way, who lured that monster away just now?"

Riding atop one of his subordinates, Mr. Liu stuck his head out from the cabin, eyes darting around.

"Reporting, Third Master—it seems to have been a newcomer from the Ether Association."

The subordinate, face flushed from being crushed, stammered, "His codename is… uh, Chair Killer! Yeah, Chair Killer! Someone even saw his face earlier. His bounty on the black market is now 5.27 million. While not extraordinarily high, it's raised eyebrows since he has two Mythical Weapons. Quite a few people are coveting them."

The subordinate hesitated. "They say if you fight him, never do it in a place with chairs. Otherwise, he becomes brutally ferocious, and there's a high chance you'll end up with your head blown to pieces!"

Mr. Liu blinked, then spat. "What the hell kind of nonsense is that? That's the kind of guy I want! Damn it, why'd someone like that end up with the Association? Outrageous! Annoying! Oh, right—take down the bounty on him for me. In our line of work, we have to follow the code. No betraying someone who's done us a solid."

After saying this, he straightened up. Pulling a loudspeaker from God-knows-where, he began bellowing curses to the outside: "Hey! You scumbags in the Judgment Court! You're a bunch of treacherous cowards! Our You Ying Group clearly had an agreement with you—minding our own business. And now you've turned on us! Disgusting!"

At these words, the faces of many on the cruise—especially members of the You Ying Group—turned pale.

They'd already been driven onto a boat. Shouldn't they be sailing away now? Why start taunting people?

"Boss, think carefully!"

The subordinate said in a panic.

"Think my ass! I have backers!"

Mr. Liu shouted defiantly.

The subordinate, on the verge of tears, thought, *It doesn't matter if you have backers.*

*The problem is, I have people above me.*

He felt like he was about to be crushed alive.

Amid the storm, Councilman Zhang sat coldly in the cabin, expression icy as he said, "Mr. Liu, it's true that the Ether Association and your You Ying Group signed a non-aggression pact. But that was conditional on your cooperation. Now that a Gu Master has appeared in West Port, and we've detected Divine Servant-level and Ancient Divine Language fluctuations…"

He spoke indifferently, "We have every reason to suspect your betrayal of the human faction."

At the same time, all the Demon Hunters raised their weapons, aiming straight at the cruise ship from afar.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Liu bellowed in response, "When's your mother dying? Don't try to pin every pile of crap on us. If I remember correctly, wasn't this Nightmare Master a defector from the Ether Association? You can't even watch over your own people and still have the nerve to come here and shout? As for betraying the human faction… screw you and your accusations!"

"If I had that kind of power, I'd blast you with an Ancient Divine Language so hard your own mother wouldn't recognize you!"

His insults became increasingly vicious, his chubby face twisted with rage. "Your so-called Judgment Court is nothing but a bunch of boot-licking cowards! You hide your high-level members at the back while sending a low-level newcomer to lure the monsters away. Are you regressing? Do you even have any shame left? Next time, stop making rookies clean up your messes and go cry to your mothers instead!"

The people on the cruise ship were growing more and more alarmed as they listened.

But this seemed to be Mr. Liu's style. The You Ying Group was a colossal force in the Dark World, and as one of the six board members, he reportedly had a very high-ranking little aunt in his corner.

He was one of the few people who dared to brazenly confront the Judgment Court.

Councilman Zhang, as high-ranking as he was within the Judgment Court, couldn't stand such humiliation.

He immediately ordered coldly, "Attack!"

A large contingent of Demon Hunters sprang into action, their different paths each performing their unique roles.

The Overlord Path stayed in the rear, setting up guns and rocket launchers.

The close combat specialists—Ancient Martial, Ghost Slayers, and Sword Sect—closed in from all sides, forming an encirclement.

Meanwhile, the nano warriors of the Dawn Combat Sequence didn't budge an inch.

It was clear now just how divisive the internal factions within the Ether Association were. Though it hadn't escalated to open warfare, the disunity and internal strife were severe.

At that moment, Mr. Liu shrank back and turned to say, "Miss Lan, using your creations on those filthy Judgment Court dogs would be an insult to your work. Now, let me show you how much I've grown recently!"

In the opulent cabin, black silk curtains veiled a girl lounging on a sofa.

Miss Lan softly hummed her approval.

Grinning, Mr. Liu fished a remote control out of his pocket and pressed a red button.

Bang!

A massive green explosion erupted near the port, engulfing the nearby Demon Hunters.

A horrifying stench immediately followed!

"Urgh!"

"What the hell is this?!"

"Help, help…!"

Simultaneously, the deck's mechanical panels sprang open, revealing countless machine guns. Their blazing muzzles didn't fire bullets but instead unleashed clouds of revolting toxic gas!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In an instant, the Demon Hunters were engulfed entirely, their anguished screams echoing ceaselessly.

"Haha! Time to teach our friends in the Judgment Court some respect! Fire at will!"

Mr. Liu's maniacal laughter rang out. "Fire at them hard! But be careful not to hit the Dawn Combat Sequence warriors!"

[PS: This book is first released on Qidian Reading App. The next chapter updates at 11:30.]