353: Orc kingdom? Give it to me!

Inside the inner hall of Jiaotai Palace, aloeswood incense quietly burned.

A light screen hung in mid-air, displaying the hellish scene of Kana City on the Ativi Continent.

The wails of the priests, the roars of the high orcs, the booming sound of collapsing buildings... even across planes, the strong scent of blood could be smelled.

Chen Yu's eyes sparkled, and her body involuntarily leaned forward. On the light screen, the Lion Cavalry charged into the Orc Priest's Totem Guards, stirring up a bloody wind.

The White-Haired Loli trembled with excitement, then softly collapsed to the side.

Shang Wan Ning didn't raise her phoenix eyes, her arm naturally extended, steadily catching the small body that pounced on her.

Chen Yu was completely nestled in the Empress's embrace, the dark phoenix robe rough yet smooth, pressed against her cheek, her nose filled with the cold scent of aloeswood mixed with the Empress's unique fragrance.

"Your Majesty!"

Chen Yu looked up, her cowlick brushing against Shang Wan Ning's chin, her eyes full of fervent flames.

"They're fighting! Grom and Rex are really cooperating... Morton, that old fox's priestly robe has been torn to shreds. Once they're exhausted from fighting and both sides are heavily wounded..."

Shang Wan Ning lowered her gaze, her five fingers intertwined in Chen Yu's soft white hair, gently pinching the nape of her neck.

Chen Yu comfortably narrowed her eyes, a 'cat-like' whimper escaping her throat.

"Once they've almost finished fighting," Shang Wan Ning's vermilion lips slightly parted, the hand pinching Chen Yu's neck pressing with a hint of intimacy. "A-Yu, go to the Ativi Continent for Us again."

Chen Yu's eyes widened: "Your Majesty?"

"The Abyss Church's foundation is still shallow; it lacks the experience to clean up the mess. You can temporarily act as the 'Ferryman,' leading five hundred personal guards, carrying the 'Swarm' and 'star shatterer' newly developed by the Research Institute."

Shang Wan Ning's delicate hand slid from Chen Yu's neck to her earlobe, pinching the soft flesh. "Target: eliminate the important figures from Grom, Rex, and Morton's three factions; also, the most active hardliners. Support the Bimon Clan's underage Fifth Prince, Bato, to ascend the throne. We want the entire Kingdom of Barbatos to change its surname to 'Abyss'."

Chen Yu's ears flushed from the pinch, and her heart also felt an itch. She squirmed, finding a more comfortable position in Shang Wan Ning's embrace, then looked up, putting on a serious expression.

"Yes, Subordinate accepts the order. I guarantee that Fifth Prince Bato will sit obediently on the throne and earn incense offerings for Your Majesty."

"But..."

She drew out her words, her eyes glinting with cunning, her finger quietly hooking the sash at the waist of Shang Wan Ning's phoenix robe. "Your Majesty, will the bonus be generous?"

Shang Wan Ning's lips curved into a smile, as she pinched Chen Yu's mischievous finger. "This month's salary will be tripled."

"Your Majesty is the best!" Chen Yu cheered, looking up and planting a heavy kiss on Shang Wan Ning's earlobe.

The soft touch swept past, a little damp. "A-Yu goes! Your Majesty, await the good news!!!"

Before her words even landed, the White-Haired Loli had transformed into a faint light, springing from Shang Wan Ning's embrace and disappearing from the inner hall in a flash.

Shang Wan Ning rubbed her ambushed earlobe, her eyes unfathomably deep. On the light screen, the towering flames of Kana City illuminated half of the Empress's profile, as cold as a knife.

The sharp edge of her determination was steeped in blood.

A month passed quickly on the Ativi Continent amidst this bloody slaughter.

The civil war in the Kingdom of Barbatos had long turned into a terrifying vortex that devoured everything.

The once majestic temple district of Kana City was now nothing but ruins. A charred beast god statue lay crookedly in a pile of rubble, its broken arm pointing towards the gray sky.

Large patches of dark brown bloodstains solidified on the streets, tattered flags steeped within, the stench of decay thick and choking.

Vultures and carrion-eating demon ravens circled in flocks, their screeches piercing the deadly silence.

Soldiers of Grom's Fierce-Mane Bear Clan and Rex's Blood Lion Clan elites repeatedly fought around several core strongholds.

Each charge paved the way with corpses, and piles of remains accumulated before the broken barricades.

Morton's Priest Corps' remnants huddled in the only surviving sturdy temple, barely clinging to life with the help of a defensive magic array.

However, the light of the magic array grew dimmer day by day.

Outside the royal capital, the entire kingdom was in a chaotic ferment. Local small and medium-sized nobles were either drawn into the conflict or hoarded their troops, observing the shifting winds.

The Orc legions that had originally confronted the Frost Luo Duchy and the Shidun Kingdom were completely torn apart by this earth-shattering upheaval in the royal capital.

Generals loyal to Grom and officers loyal to Rex guarded against each other, even erupting into small-scale skirmishes.

The large army fell into a strange stalemate, stationed in place. They watched helplessly as the heart of the kingdom bled its last drop in infighting.

The Guixu Walkers of the Abyss Church lurked in the surrounding chaotic shadows.

They incited the lower-class orcs to hate the "treacherous nobles" and "derelict priests," dragging more commoners, pushed to desperation by the fires of war, into the embrace of the Abyss.

The power of faith crossed planes, continuously flowing into the incense offerings pool.

[The time is ripe.]

In the depths of a dense forest on the eastern outskirts of Kana City, where light was deliberately distorted by a magic array.

Suddenly, ripples appeared in space. A planar rift, just wide enough for a few people to pass through, quietly opened.

Chen Yu stepped out first, followed closely by Yin Shu, the Commander of a Thousand from the Third Legion—whom she had specifically borrowed.

At this moment, he wore a dark tight-fitting suit, his face devoid of expression, his eyes holding the sharpness expected of an elite.

Behind them were five hundred elite Yin Soldiers of the personal guard.

They were not wearing the standard Xuanjia armor of the Underworld, but had changed into the common mercenary leather armor and robes of the Ativi Continent, deliberately concealing their Yin energy, yet the chilling murderous intent of battle-hardened elites still subtly permeated their disguise.

Most striking was the equipment they carried.

Rectangular metal boxes were carefully placed on a clearing in the forest. The lids were opened, revealing neatly arranged spindle-shaped projectiles inside, their warheads flickering with spiritual script—precisely the Research Institute's individual-soldier super-weapon, the "Swarm."

Additionally, dozens of half-arm-long "star shatterer" spore compression bomb launchers were slung diagonally across the backs of some Yin Soldiers.

Chen Yu swept her gaze over the ready-to-depart team, then waved her small hand: "Commander Yin, proceed as planned. Targets: Grom's command post in the west of the city, Rex's mansion in the east of the city, and the remnants of the Priest Corps in the central temple district."

"The 'Swarm' will open the way, the 'star shatterer' will finish them off. Act swiftly. After eliminating the leaders, immediately take control of the Orc Royal Palace and support Fifth Prince Bato to ascend the throne."

Yin Shu clasped his fists, his movements crisp and clean. "Subordinate will not fail."

He turned and looked at the five hundred Yin Soldiers behind him. "The first team will follow this Commander to seize Grom's dog head, the second team will attack Rex's mansion, and the third team will clear out the temple remnants."

"Remember, leave no survivors, only identify by severed heads."

"Yes!" The five hundred Yin Soldiers roared in unison.

Their actions were extremely swift and silent. They shouldered their equipment boxes, split into three teams, and quickly disappeared into the smoke and blood permeating Kana City.