Cui Zaimin watched as Qiu Fu blocked Zhao Jian and Dou Tingyu, casting him a mocking gaze as if he were some clown. As frontline commander of the first phase, how could he not understand the mission's nature? Everything before had merely been an act. "Fucking idiot," Qiu Fu spat out. Cui Zaimin's heart immediately filled with ominous dread. Clank... clank... clank... Three massive shackles painted with yin-yang corpse motifs materialized around the trio. Five tomb gates representing the five elements crashed down around them, sealing all escape routes. "Flame Seals Heaven, Severing Spirit and Life", "Metal Swords Fix Acupoints, Ten Thousand Piercings"... Powerful techniques rained down one after another, transforming the open sky into an inescapable net. Cui Zaimin's group found their techniques completely suppressed. Then ten figures abruptly appeared in the sky, surrounding them from all directions. Each wore broad, triumphant smiles. The contrast made Cui Zaimin's group seem like the righteous faction, while Great Han's forces appeared villainous. The visual effects did look rather... But this was simply the product of their era. When Great Han's lands were engulfed in war beacons, saving the nation required crossing moral boundaries. The exchange of techniques between orthodox and unorthodox schools had brought about this flourishing vitality. Orthodox cultivators practiced forbidden arts for greater power. Unorthodox cultivators learned orthodox methods for stability. Thus creating the current situation. Seeing their smirking faces and feeling the overwhelming pressure of surrounding techniques, Cui Zaimin finally realized... Completely deceived!!! They'd all been fooled by Great Han!!! These bastards must have arrived long ago, just waiting for them to make the first move!! No wonder Qiu Fu hadn't intervened. Cui Zaimin's already shaky mental state from dealing with Dou Tingyu, Now completely collapsed. "Hahahaha you liars!!!! All of you are liars!!!" "May you die horribly!!" Yet he retained enough reason for Wei Gao's sake, switching to Tai Island's language: "You're all scum!!" Well, might as well commit to the act fully. The ten Heavenly Perception operatives from Great Han finally heard the accent they wanted. They'd held back precisely for this final line. Now having heard it... "Hehehe... Cui Zaimin, rest in peace. Your Tai Island 'Heavenly Perception' comrades will join you soon." The ten operatives viciously charged into the sealed area. Fists flew, elbows struck, knees smashed. The dull thuds of impacts sounded like muffled thunder. The three men tumbled wildly through the air. At first they endured the pain silently, but soon Great Han's operatives employed specialized techniques. Agonized screams became unavoidable. "Stop! Just kill me!! Have the guts to kill me!!!" "Ah fuck!!! Ah!!! Make it quick!!!!" They were literally being beaten to death... Bloodied, bruised, utterly defenseless. "Baka! Tai Island will make you pay!!!" Even now, Cui Zaimin remained professional. On Wu Island, Lu Ding observed the sky. He'd considered intervening earlier, but Great Han's operatives moved faster. Best leave it to them. Wang Qingge and others stood beside him, All watching the spectacle above. Bai Hemen asked confusedly: "Lu Ding, wasn't that man from Wei Gao? Why did he claim to be from Tai Island?" In good humor, Lu Ding explained: "Because they attacked the battlefield below. After today, Wei Gao will suffer." "When they eventually lose, they'll become the shortest among giants. After Great Han takes its spoils, Tai Island will inevitably sink its claws into Wei Gao." "So he's dragging Tai Island into this." The man was genuinely clever. Worrying Bai Hemen might not fully grasp it, Lu Ding elaborated: "We don't care whether we fight one or two enemies - we've fought many already." "Moreover, if we cripple Wei Gao, Tai Island will drain its blood to heal its own wounds. A crippled Wei Gao couldn't resist." "Then defeating Tai Island becomes meaningless." "So Wei Gao must be crippled, but Tai Island can't escape unharmed." "Cui Zaimin understood this, so he personally forged chains linking Wei Gao and Tai Island together in mutual destruction." "When both are crippled, neither can act against the other. Great Han remains the supreme victor." Bai Hemen pondered this revelation. So that was the reasoning. He realized: "So Cui Zaimin, who wanted to kill you earlier, just helped Great Han?" Lu Ding mused: "Help... isn't the right word. But he certainly stirred the pot, all for Wei Gao's sake." Great Han and Tai Island had history. However flimsy the pretext, Great Han would use it as a ladder to deliver extra blows while Tai Island fell. Interests and circumstances were complex, shaping unpredictable human intentions that shifted constantly. Nearby, Wang Qingge waved her wooden sign: After Lu Ding explained, She cheerfully raised another sign. Drawn with spiritual energy were two anime-style dogs biting each other. [Dogs fighting end up with mouths full of fur] Though she couldn't understand others, she understood Lu Ding. The "prominent-horned" Yan Feifan teased Bai Hemen: "Xiao Bai, you're now the slowest learner here." Bai Hemen flicked a spiritual energy pellet that "bonked" Yan Feifan's swollen bump. "Ouch... damn... that hurt..." Amid their horseplay, Lu Ding thought his chance to challenge Heavenly Perception was lost. A figure approached from the distant sky with overwhelming presence. Tai Island's Heavenly Perception operatives - Cui Zaimin's supposed backup. Wei Gao weren't fools - why shoulder blame alone for such operations? As his final breath left him, Cui Zaimin reached out crying: "Save me!!!!" Tai Island's operatives surveyed the scene from afar. Three Wei Gao operatives beaten to death. Ten Great Han operatives turning unified gazes toward them. The pressure in that moment was absolute.