Capture?

In the depths where data streams intertwined, between virtuality and reality.

The sky was blanketed by layer upon layer of black clouds. Searchlights rose from the ground, striking the underside of the clouds and casting dazzling patterns of light and shadow.

Cities stood across the land, their neon lights glittering in a riot of colors.

Countless figures wandered through the cities, drowning themselves in wine and dreams.

Their twisted faces were filled with obsession and madness.

A sickening fragrance permeated the air, while decadent music and agonized wails intertwined in every corner.

High above the continent, Tu Qianliu stood with his hands behind his back, silently watching a projection screen.

On the screen was the scene of Li Qingshan throwing his weight around on the bridge.

"As expected of Director Li!"

Tu Qianliu smiled and sighed, shifting his gaze from the screen to overlook the land below.

Like a king seated high above, he inspected the entire God Realm.

No, before the formal sacrifice, he was the king of this God Realm—the king of this world!

Only true spirits could enter the God Realm!

Here, even a dragon had to lie prone before him, and even a tiger had to crouch down!

Much less a mere vicious wolf!

Tu Qianliu licked his lips and raised his head toward the heavens, a teasing smile curling across his mouth.

"I'm really looking forward to it!"

"What are you looking forward to?"

Rumble—!

Thunder exploded, scattering layer upon layer of black clouds.

A terrifying face covered in starlight, as though formed from countless stars, peered in from beyond the heavens and looked down.

"Me?"

"Di... Director Li?!"

Tu Qianliu's smile froze on his face. His eyes widened inch by inch as he said in disbelief,

"Is this your Dharma manifestation?"

"No. It's merely my true spirit."

The starry giant spoke calmly, his indifferent gaze falling upon Tu Qianliu.

"Didn't you want to see it?"

"Now, you have."

As his words fell,

Rumble—!

Vast swathes of black clouds were pierced through. Starlight illuminated the entire continent as a terrifying palm descended from beyond the heavens.

"Director Li, this is a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"

Tu Qianliu's expression changed wildly as he shouted with all his strength,

"I only invited you to the God Realm to discuss business..."

"You accepted the Void God Sect's things. How could you go back on your word..."

"Please, spare me..."

Excuses, accusations, pleas...

None of it was of any use!

Tu Qianliu could only stare wide-eyed as he watched the terrifying giant palm descend.

In the God Realm, he was the king of the world.

But now...

The Extraterrestrial Devils had descended!

Inside the Security Office.

Xing Yang had been eagerly keeping watch before the light screen when he suddenly noticed his master frowning.

"Master, what's wrong?"

"This arrest shouldn't have been livestreamed."

Su Yuan's expression was stern as he said in a low voice,

"It involves a deputy director of an office. It isn't exactly glorious for our Demon Subjugation Division."

"Ordinarily, we should have carried out a secret arrest, investigated everything thoroughly, and only then revealed the details."

"And..."

Su Yuan's gaze fell upon the livestream, and he shook his head.

"This isn't Xia Cunzhen's way of doing things either!"

Xing Yang looked puzzled.

"Didn't the forum say the division couldn't withstand the pressure, which was why they livestreamed the arrest?"

"Pressure?"

Su Yuan waved the notion away and said calmly,

"What right did the weak have to pressure the strong?"

Demon Subjugation Division Headquarters.

Cough, cough!

Gu Feng suddenly bent over, coughing violently.

The gravity around him abruptly twisted. Fine cracks spread through space layer upon layer before it shattered with a bang.

Suddenly,

A fair hand reached out, ignoring every strange phenomenon as it gently patted the old man's back.

With each pat of that hand,

The shattered mirror was restored, the spatial cracks closed, and the distorted gravity returned to normal.

The violent coughing gradually ceased as well.

Gu Feng turned sideways and looked at the owner of the hand.

Bright eyes, pearly teeth, youthful and beautiful...

She was the Minister of the Demon Subjugation Division.

Ming Shuang!

"Thank you, Minister!"

"Elder Gu, you're being too polite. You've exhausted your heart and soul for the Demon Subjugation Division, serving as its 'eyes' for a full fifty thousand years!"

Ming Shuang waved her hand lightly, a smile curling at the corner of her lips.

"If anyone should be offering thanks, it should be me!"

As she spoke, her gaze turned to the light screen and settled upon the shattered asteroid belt.

"Elder Gu, are you really that confident in Li Qingshan?"

It was precisely because Gu Feng had repeatedly requested it that she had ordered Xia Cunzhen to begin the livestream!

"The Demon Subjugation Division's 'eyes' cannot be clouded, and this old man isn't so old that his eyes have gone dim."

Gu Feng smiled and stepped forward, cupping his hands.

"This old man has occupied the director's position for a full fifty thousand years. It's time to yield his place to someone more worthy."

Ming Shuang stared at the light screen and pondered.

"If Li Qingshan can use this opportunity to clear his name, I won't object."

"But he only just joined the Demon Subjugation Division. It will take at least several hundred years before he can possibly complete the Transformation of Emptiness. As for the others, I'm afraid..."

"As long as the Minister agrees!"

The wrinkles on Gu Feng's face squeezed together as he smiled.

"This old man will handle the rest himself!"

"Hm?!"

Ming Shuang frowned slightly and solemnly reminded him,

"Elder Gu, you have squandered Five Epochs already. You should understand that everything must place your own martial path first!"

"Thank you for the reminder, Minister. This old man understands!"

Gu Feng cupped his hands and took his leave...

Time passed second by second.

Across the entire Horn Sector, every member of the Demon Subjugation Division's six major offices stared blankly at the livestream screen.

The starry sky remained silent, and the asteroid belt had not changed in the slightest.

Everyone gradually emerged from their initial excitement and tension, their expressions turning increasingly strange.

"Wasn't this supposed to be a livestreamed arrest? Why isn't there even a single person in sight?"

"I mean, what kind of livestream just watches asteroids? Does Director Xia even know how to..."

"Shut up! Maybe Director Xia is setting up an ambush in advance, just waiting for Director Li to take the bait!"

"That's not right, is it? I remember Director Li's Starship isn't ordinarily fast. There's no reason Director Xia should have arrived first, right?"

"It's over. Director Li must have already completed the deal with the Void God Sect. If they can't catch him in the act, it'll probably be hard to nail the charges down afterward..."

Doubts, worries, anxiety...

Similar conversations continued taking place in office after office.

Just as everyone was growing restless,

Bzzz!

The void trembled as a long, narrow rift suddenly appeared in the center of the asteroid belt.

"They're here! So they were hiding inside the Hyperspace Channel!"

For a moment, everyone became excited again. Their eyes fixed on the livestream screen, unwilling to miss even the slightest detail.

Under the gaze of the masses, the rift widened bit by bit, and a silver-white hull slowly emerged from the Hyperspace Channel.

At the same time, figures finally appeared in the livestream.

Xia Cunzhen took the lead, charging toward the asteroid belt with several hundred members of the Action Department.

"Hahaha, good thing we didn't miss it!"

"Director Xia is a famously murderous god. Director Li is probably in for some suffering this time!"

"You're still calling him Director? Once Li Qingshan comes out with the Void God Sect, the evidence will be ironclad!"

Countless gazes followed the camera, fixed tightly upon the silver-white Starship emerging from the channel.

At this point, Li Qingshan's guilt was already as certain as a nail hammered into a board...

Boom!

A heaven-shaking explosion erupted from the screen.

Flames burst forth. The silver-white Starship shattered inch by inch, wreckage filling both the inside and outside of the channel.

"What happened?"

For a moment, everyone was dumbfounded.

Not only them—even Xia Cunzhen and his group in the footage were stunned, frozen in the void.

Just then,

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three streams of light shot up from the wreckage, rushing out of the Hyperspace Channel as terrified, furious roars shook the void.

"Li Qingshan, you went back on your word and your greed knows no bounds!"

Pfft!

A giant hand of starlight reached out from the ruins, seized the stream of light, and crushed it into powder.

"Director Li, I gave you three Star Shards..."

Pfft!

Another stream of light turned into powder.

"Li Qingshan, how dare you..."

The final stream of light abruptly changed direction and shot straight toward Xia Cunzhen's group, shouting at the same time,

"Spare my life! I'll testify that Li Qingshan embezzled and broke the law, colluded with an evil god sect..."

Xia Cunzhen frowned and had just extended his hand.

Pfft!

The giant hand of starlight struck later yet arrived first, already seizing the stream of light.

The starlight suddenly faded.

The young man stood amid the shattered wreckage filling the sky, his right hand clenched into a fist and rubbing lightly.

Fine powder drifted down from his palm, scattering through the void.

"Director Xia, I told you."

Li Qingshan looked at Xia Cunzhen, then at the livestream camera. He grinned, baring his chillingly white teeth.

"The three sectors are calm and peaceful!"