"Enough!" Xing You declared. "This cultivator took down our hero. No matter how he did it, show him at least a base amount of respect. If he really were to go crazy, half our number would perish."

"Even if we die in this realm, all that we'll suffer is some mental damage. Our clan has spiritual pills that can repair that damage rapidly, so what's there to be afraid of?!"

Xing You replied severely, "The elders left you in my charge, and I have the responsibility of taking care of you. At the very least, I shouldn't let you be eliminated for something like this."

One Stargod shouted, "Our idol would never be willing to compromise!"

"And unfortunately for you, I'm not your idol, and I won't be him." Xing You stepped forward and stared at Fang Yi. "Have you made up your mind?"

Fang Yi hummed thoughtfully.

Xing You said, "You have two options: either we fight and exhaust each other, or you leave the pupae behind and depart."

Fang Yi shook the pupae in his hands. "I want half the pupae, since I'm in possession of them now."

One Stargod said arrogantly, "Allowing you to leave is already far more than you deserve!"

Another warned, "Don't be too greedy."

Fang Yi probed, "Then I suppose we'll have to fight."

"You really are greedy, aren't you?!" the Stargod cultivators cried out, raring to make a move at him.

Xing You held his kin back. "We accept," he said.

Fang Yi blinked in surprise. "Really? I hope you're not trying to trick me, then."

Xing You frowned. "Do you intend to fight us?"

"I'm simply surprised by how readily you agreed. Allow me to consider this a bit more... Catch!" Fang Yi tossed three of the pupae in his hands up in the air.

"[Floating Clouds]!"At the same time, he made his escape.

The wind and lightning formed a loop around Fang Yi's body, which provided explosive strength that propelled Fang Yi forward.

The Stargods by Xing You's side caught the pupae. As Fang Yi attempted to escape, Xing You made his move. He had never been planning to let Fang Yi go from the beginning; all that had been a deception to catch him off-guard.

Xing You was unwilling to waste even a second of time. His palm glowed with light. Five radiant beams fell from the heavens, each manifesting in the form of a mountain range, locking down the land.

Even tens of thousands of cultivators would be killed by the simultaneous attack of the beams, let alone Fang Yi himself.

As Fang Yi saw the mountains approach him, he didn't even bother to block. He shouted, "Save me, Captain!"

Xing You laughed. "Give up. No one will save you now."

Just as Xing You finished speaking, however, pale blue genetic energy rippled about Zhang Lie's arms. He flicked his wrists, causing a frightening aura to descend around them. A fish the size of a whale materialized in the air.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Soar]!"

As more and more genetic energy gathered around Zhang Lie's arms, it looked as though he were at the heart of a whirlpool.

A huge wave soared into the air. As Zhang Lie punched forward, the fish slammed its huge tail on the ground and sent a torrent of water surging.

Ripples of energy spread out from Zhang Lie, warping the space around him. The towering waves looked like enraged black dragons, smashing into the five mountains.

The five mountains exploded. As the waves burst apart, the air filled with echoes of Zhang Lie's signature genetic energy, shattering space and swallowing up all life in its vicinity.

The ground quaked.

Zhang Lie stood in the distance, one fist raised in the air.

Xing You stopped his pursuit. "Who might you be, sir? As far as I recall, the Stargods have never provoked you."

Zhang Lie's strength was apparent from the blow he had unleashed; it was no weaker than the Stargods' own techniques.

Xing You would surely have had some recollection of offending such a powerful cultivator. He had emerged from nowhere—Xing You was certain that the Stargods hadn't done anything against him.

Xing You scrutinized him more carefully and found that he did seem somehow familiar. He recalled where quickly.

"You're the cultivator who defeated the supposedly invincible Solarvine!"That invincible Solarvine had been a renowned genius throughout the galaxy, and his reputation went far beyond the Stargods' own idol and the ninth Immortal King. That this cultivator had been able to defeat the Solarvine spoke volumes about his strength.

Then, seeing what Fang Yi was doing, Xing You finally understood why Zhang Lie had made a move.

Fang Yi was grabbing onto Zhang Lie's leg, almost kneeling on the ground.

"Captain, if you hadn't shown up when you did, you might never have seen me again!"

Fang Yi had known that Zhang Lie was approaching. His tracker bee soulshard had sensed the queen's arrival, so Fang Yi had been delaying until Zhang Lie arrived.

Zhang Lie frowned as he saw the wounds on Fang Yi's body.

"Don't worry. With me around, no one will be able to do anything against you."

Fang Yi held out the four remaining pupae in his hands. "Captain, these are my spoils. I was going to split them evenly among each of us, but they stole three of the pupae."

Xing You harrumphed. "Those pupae belonged to us to begin with. If you shield this cultivator, you'll be establishing us as your enemies. Hand the pupae over and we'll allow you to leave."

The other Stargods gathered behind Xing You to form an imposing presence.

"We Stargods won't take this lying down. Our starlit legends could easily take down the Solarvines. This fellow stole what belonged to us, and I must reclaim it."

Xing You attempted to frighten Zhang Lie with the name of the Stargods, but he had clearly chosen the wrong target to mess with.

"Know who you're messing with!"

"No matter how strong you are, you're alone—and you'll have to take care of that injured liability, too!"

"Do you really intend to make an enemy of the Stargods?"

The Stargod cultivators were all in an uproar.

"Alone? Says who?""So what if we were to make you our enemies?"

Two voices could be heard from the air as Yang Ze and Li Feng approached.

Yang Ze's opponent, Chang Sheng, wasn't particularly renowned, but Xing You grew alarmed upon seeing Li Feng.

Li Feng had defeated the ninth Immortal King!

Xing You was confident of his odds against Zhang Lie, who had crushed the invincible Solarvine, but with Li Feng in the mix, he couldn't help but start to frown.