Feng Wuji and Lin Yuehua fell silent.

They found they had nothing to say in rebuttal.

It was true. Their own internal problems had indeed given others an opportunity.

At that moment, their hearts were filled with a stifling frustration and a sense of helplessness.

Seeing the grim expressions on their faces, Andrei and Chris exchanged a smile, knowing they had achieved their goal.

"In that case, Generals, we’ll be taking our leave."

Andrei gave another elegant, aristocratic bow. Then, he and Chris unhurriedly tore open the space before them.

"I hope that by our next meeting, Great Xia’s eastern coast remains a place of peace."

Leaving behind this blessing, laced with a faint trace of mockery, the two of them stepped into the pitch-black spatial rift and disappeared without a trace.

Only Feng Wuji and Lin Yuehua remained on the vast expanse of the sea.

The sea breeze blew, carrying a desolate chill.

They looked at each other in silence, their faces incredibly grim.

...

「Meanwhile, within the endless, turbulent void.」

The figures of Andrei and Chris sped along a chaotic spatial tunnel they had forcibly carved out.

The polite and gentle expressions they had worn just moments ago had vanished completely.

In their place were unconcealed sneers and disdain.

"Heh, the people of Great Xia... always so naive," Andrei curled his lip in disdain.

"Do they really think that so-called ’Global God-Slaying Alliance’ can restrain us? That was just a verbal agreement made back then for mutual benefit."

"Now that Great Xia is in such a huge mess, why should we stick around and be their cannon fodder?"

"Heh." A mocking smile touched Chris’s aged face. "To this day, I still can’t figure out what on earth that old Director-General from Great Xia was thinking."

"Doesn’t he know he has to guard Great Xia’s Kyoto year-round? He can’t get away at all."

"Even with Qin Yuan clearly on strike, he still dared to protect an Alien Race Mosquito Beast, offending two Great Emperors from the Xia and Xuanyuan Families in the process!"

Chris shook his head, his tone filled with utter disbelief at such an action.

"Now look what’s happened. The one from the Xia Family has started slacking off. And while the one from the Xuanyuan Family hasn’t said so outright, he’s probably doing the same."

"Losing three top-notch combatants just like that, how many combat-ready Emperor Realms does Great Xia have left? The Great Xia Military Department’s chief instructor is elusive, and the Illusion Sea Spirit Emperor is a lone wolf. You can’t rely on them at all."

"All that’s left are Lin Yuehua and Feng Wuji, two newly ascended Early Stage Emperor Realms. What can they do? Serve as an appetizer for the Sakura Country’s five Ancient God incarnations?"

Andrei sneered, picking up where Chris left off.

"It’s the height of stupidity! Risking the entire nation’s collapse for a mere Mosquito Beast!"

"If those five Emperor Realms from the Sakura Country seize this opportunity to invade, they can use Great Xia’s vast resources to recover to the Peak of the Emperor Realm in an incredibly short time!"

"Five experts at the Peak of the Emperor Realm! Can you even imagine that?"

"At that point, they’ll use Great Xia as a springboard. What nation on all of Blue Star could possibly stand in their way?!"

"Great Xia is playing with fire! And they’re dragging all of humanity on Blue Star down with them!"

"How ridiculous! How foolish!"

The two went back and forth, tearing Great Xia’s leadership’s decisions to shreds.

And yet, strangely...

Although they paid lip service to the idea that Great Xia’s actions could lead to the destruction of all of Blue Star,

their faces showed little sign of worry or fear.

It was as if the five Sakura Ancient Gods conquering Blue Star wasn’t a matter of concern for their Northern Europe at all.

Their eyes held only a look of schadenfreude, as if they were watching a good show, relishing the disaster about to befall Great Xia.

"Let them sort out their own mess."

"I, for one, would love to see what that Mosquito Beast they gambled their nation’s fate on can actually do for them!"

"It doesn’t even have the power of an Emperor Realm. On this planet, it’s as weak and helpless as a child..."

...

「Meanwhile.」

Chu Sheng had already stealthily arrived outside the Sakura Country’s National Mansion.

He was oblivious to everything happening in the outside world, nor did he care!

He had only one thought on his mind.

And that was: to feast!

To feast on everything!

You had to hand it to them; when a nation’s machine got moving, its efficiency was truly staggering.

Chu Sheng had barely arrived when he saw one specialized heavy transport vehicle after another speeding toward the Sakura National Mansion, disappearing into the national treasury beneath it.

Those vehicles were all carrying massive, custom-built shipping containers.

The surfaces of these containers shimmered with a faint light, covered in inscriptions of Arrays meant to conceal their aura and block any probes.

They tried to be all mysterious, but to Chu Sheng, they were just bright, shiny meal-delivery trucks!

He used Instant Teleportation to stick himself to a container being unloaded and peeked inside.

Holy cow!

This one just happened to be a container of Spiritual Plants!

It was packed to the brim with High-Level Spiritual Plants, all preserved in the finest Jade Boxes!

Eighth-Grade and Ninth Grade were as common as dirt, and King-rank Spirit Grass was everywhere you looked!

’These corrupt Sakura officials sure are efficient when it comes to bleeding their people dry!’

Chu Sheng was ecstatic. After a moment of thought, he formulated the next step of his feeding plan.

’First step, of course, is to drain the Spiritual Plants!’

’Only by hoarding a massive amount of Evolution Points first can I activate my "instant digestion" cheat when I move on to the High-Level Essence Blood later!’

’Sharpening the axe before chopping the wood—that’s the most efficient way to feast!’

With that thought, Chu Sheng immediately used his Realm-Breaking Claw to tear a tiny slit in the container’s protective Barrier, then flashed inside.

As the container was delivered to the treasury, Chu Sheng snuck in along with it, completely unnoticed.

He then eagerly opened a nearby Jade Box... Just as he’d thought, a Ninth-Grade Spiritual Plant!

Staring at the Ninth-Grade Spirit Grass before him, which radiated a dense Fire Attribute Energy, Chu Sheng chuckled mischievously and brandished his massive proboscis!

’Let’s get sucking!’

The God-devouring Needle activated, and a terrifying devouring power instantly burst forth.

In just a single instant!

The Ninth-Grade Spirit Grass instantly withered and turned to ash, as if its very soul had been drained.

Such was the domineering suction of the Level 33 God-devouring Needle!

Gone in one gulp!

[Ding! Absorbed one Ninth-Grade Spiritual Plant. Gained 5,000 Evolution Points! Fire Realm Comprehension +5,000!]

Hearing the system notification in his mind, Chu Sheng was overjoyed.

Not only was the Level 33 God-devouring Needle fast, but its absorption and conversion efficiency had nearly doubled!

Previously, draining a Ninth-Grade Spiritual Plant would net him 3,000 Evolution Points at most, but now he was getting 5,000 straight up!

’Nice, this upgrade was totally worth it!’

After draining the Spirit Grass, Chu Sheng didn’t hesitate, immediately moving on to another Jade Box.

He opened it. Another Ninth-Grade Spiritual Plant!

Chu Sheng was about to go wild.

He felt like a rat that had fallen into a silo of rice, surrounded by an endless supply of Top-Grade food.

’Let’s do this! Let’s do this!’

’Alright, you sexy little Spirit Grasses, let Lord Mosquito’s massive proboscis grace you one by one!’