No Honor Among Warriors

The Spirit Magpie Race Marquis's pupils suddenly contracted.

A cloud of silver-gray mist burst from Fang Yan's sleeve, colorless and odorless, dispersing the moment it met the wind.

The God-Killing Powder mixed into Cold Nest Star's blizzard like a silent embrace of death, swallowing the Marquis expert whose divine body was burning.

When the silver-gray mist dispersed, large patches of gray mottling had already appeared across the Spirit Magpie Race Marquis's divine body.

Those were traces of his divine body being corroded!

The God-Killing Powder had broken down the structure of his divine body. In a single exchange, his divine body had plummeted by nineteen percent.

"Whew~~~"

The Spirit Magpie Race Marquis gasped heavily. His aura, which had originally burned at the King level, began to drop sharply like a punctured balloon.

With more than ten percent of his divine body damaged, he could only wield sixty to seventy percent of his combat strength.

"You actually have no honor!"

The Spirit Magpie Race immortal cursed furiously.

Fang Yan gave him no chance to catch his breath.

The Wind-Following Wings spread open, and Time Pause was activated once more.

This time, his opponent's resistance was far weaker. The power of time successfully froze his body for an instant.

An instant was enough.

The Replica Windbearing Divine Spear became a cyan meteor and pierced through the Spirit Magpie Race Marquis's head.

Immortal divine power exploded. Four pairs of burning wings slowly dissipated in the starry sky, turning into silver motes that filled the heavens like falling snow.

Fang Yan stood amid that luminous snowfall, shook out his sleeve, and put away the remaining God-Killing Powder.

He had just used ten million Hunyuan worth of God-Killing Powder in exchange for the life of a Peak Marquis.

"Tsk... a small loss!"

Fang Yan could not help clicking his tongue.

Little Fox Fairy: "Master, you're really becoming more and more like a villain."

"Nonsense. This is called... tactical wisdom."

After the war on Cold Nest Star's main planet had lasted a full seven days, it finally began to subside.

In the end, the Spirit Magpie Race's towering pillar, Spirit Magpie King, was surrounded and besieged by everyone before being ambushed by a soul expert and falling into slumber.

Fang Yan alone had also slain seven ordinary Immortal Army Lords, along with one Peak Marquis.

When Flame Ruins King heard this news during the postwar meeting, the hand holding his teacup trembled.

"Just luck, just luck."

Fang Yan modestly cupped his hands. He still looked refined and scholarly in his black robe, like a cultured man no matter how one looked at him.

Only Crimson Flame King burst into laughter, slapping Fang Yan on the shoulder so hard that several huge cracks split open across the ground.

"The Human Race of the Southern Border Star Domain has won a great victory! The entire Cold Nest Star System has been captured!"

Once this battle report was simultaneously updated in the Virtual Universe system, congratulatory messages from every major faction surged in like a tide.

The postwar Spirit Magpie Hall was a temporary command center Flame Ruins King had chosen on Cold Nest Star's main planet.

This grand hall had originally been Spirit Magpie King's palace. It was built entirely from a kind of silvery-white ice crystal, its dome three hundred zhang high and carved with totems of the Spirit Magpie Race's greatest experts throughout history.

Flame Ruins King sat in the seat of honor, with Ice Qiong King and Crimson Flame King seated to his left and right.

"Everyone."

Flame Ruins King cleared his throat, and the meeting hall instantly fell silent.

"In this campaign, our Human Race has won a resounding victory. All seventeen star systems of the Cold Nest Star Domain have been incorporated into our Human Race territory. Everyone here deserves great credit!"

Everyone clasped their hands and modestly insisted that they dared not claim the credit.

Flame Ruins King waved a hand and continued.

"I have gathered everyone today not only to celebrate, but also to discuss another matter: how should the spoils of the Cold Nest Star Domain be divided?"

At those words, everyone's eyes brightened unconsciously.

Although the Spirit Magpie Race was not particularly notable within the Primordial Universe, it had ruled the Cold Nest Star Domain for who knew how many eras. The wealth it had accumulated was certainly no small sum.

Flame Ruins King swept his gaze across the crowd before speaking slowly.

"By convention, thirty percent of the spoils will be handed over to Virtual Universe Company headquarters, twenty percent will be added to the Fang Family Army treasury, and the remaining fifty percent will be distributed among everyone according to merit. Does anyone object to this plan?"

No one spoke.

However, just as everyone assumed the meeting was about to move on to its next item—

Flame Ruins King suddenly paused. His gaze passed over the crowd and landed on Fang Yan, who was sitting in a corner with his head lowered, muttering about something with Little Fox Fairy.

"Fang Yan, did you find anything while inventorying the spoils on Cold Nest Star's main planet?"

Fang Yan looked up and solemnly cupped his hands.

"Reporting to Ancestor, not much. I only picked up a few scattered little trinkets of no value."

Crimson Flame King's mouth twitched.

He had personally seen Fang Yan charging off after the battle like an unbridled wild horse, leading his Fang Family Army of more than thirty thousand men straight into Spirit Magpie Star.

Anyone who did not know better would have thought he had come to loot the place.

No, he had come to loot the place!

After the battle, Fang Yan walked along pointing things out while the Fang Family Army soldiers responsible for carrying goods did not even have time to look up and catch their breath.

Little Fox Fairy recorded everything at high speed on the virtual interface.

"...What material is this bookshelf made of?"

"Reporting to Master, Thousand-Year Cold Iron Wood. It isn't valuable, only worth a few thousand Southern Border Coins."

"Take it!"

Thus, that inconspicuous bookshelf was carried away by a broad-shouldered Fang Family Army soldier, leaving behind a bare wall.

A Fang Family guard followed behind Fang Yan with his sword in his arms. Watching the scene before him, the muscles at the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.

"Does the Young Holy Son really lack something like this?"

"This is just too..."

Before long, under Fang Yan's command, a Fang Family Army soldier crouched on the ground, using a dagger to pry loose a luminous pearl embedded in the wall.

"Stop!"

Fang Yan suddenly barked.

The soldier shuddered all over, thinking he had made some mistake, and hurriedly stood up.

Fang Yan strode over, bent down, and picked up a fragment that had been chipped off beside the luminous pearl. He examined it carefully in his palm.

"This fragment is also leftover material from the luminous pearl. Ground into powder, it can be used to make rune ink for top-grade Fluorescent Formation Disks. A small piece broke off when you pried at it with the dagger. Put it away. Don't waste it."

The soldier froze for a breath, then immediately grew solemn with admiration. Using two fingers, he carefully picked up the fragment, smaller than a sesame seed, and respectfully placed it into his Qiankun Ring.

The Holy Son was truly wise!

The guard fell silent.

He felt that his understanding of the word "plundering" over the past several hundred years had been far too shallow.

After Fang Yan had looted Spirit Magpie Star as thoroughly as if plowing three feet into the ground, he turned around and ordered the Fang Family Army behind him.

"Go. Gather all the Flame World Masters. Prepare to set a fire."

Everyone froze.

Even Crimson Flame King, who happened to be passing nearby, nearly fell headfirst out of the air upon hearing those words.

"Fang Yan, what are you trying to do?"

"Burn down the hall."

Fang Yan answered as though it were perfectly natural.

Crimson Flame King opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately only turned an extremely complicated gaze in Flame Ruins King's direction.

Flame Ruins King sighed and descended before Fang Yan.

"This Spirit Magpie Hall will serve as the core command center for our future garrison base. It is useful to keep it."

Fang Yan's expression visibly fell.

"Can't we really burn it?"

"Really can't."

"Not even a little?"

"...Fang Yan."

Flame Ruins King's voice carried a trace of helplessness.

Fang Yan clicked his tongue. His experiences in the Gu World had left him feeling strangely empty whenever he killed people without setting a fire afterward.

P.S. I overslept. When I woke up and checked, I finally got a contract offer. Hahaha, thank you all, dear readers, for your tremendous support! ٩(๑^o^๑)۶

P.P.S. Thank you once again for Purple Feather Heavenly Spirit's support! Without you, I really might not have been able to keep going. Thank you!