At Zhou Yuanjue's current level, weapons were of limited use. After the incident at Kunlun Mountain, Daoist Bailong had promised to craft a Dharma Artifact for him from Peach Wood, so Zhou Yuanjue had commissioned him to create this vessel.

Fortunately, creating a Dharma Artifact purely for storing magnetic fields was not complicated, and Daoist Bailong quickly fulfilled his request.

"You must be careful, though. A stored magnetic field isn't the same as a natural one, after all. It will be somewhat less effective when you use it."

Daoist Bailong said.

"I know."

Zhou Yuanjue nodded.

Currently, his strongest state was the "Immortal" state, formed by combining Southern Dipper Star Fire with Yin Yang Life and Death. Unfortunately, this state had significant limitations. This Dharma Artifact was the solution to his most pressing problem.

With this Dharma Artifact, he could unleash his full combat power for a certain period, even during the day.

"I'm looking for a way to store the magnetic field of the Southern Dipper Six Stars within my organs. Soon, I might not even need this thing."

Zhou Yuanjue said casually, placing the Peach Wood Bottle into his backpack.

Daoist Bailong rolled his eyes, ignoring Zhou Yuanjue's comment. Instead, he turned to the Chief Commissioner. "So, has the situation in the country more or less stabilized?"

"Yes, it has stabilized for now. But it's hard to say what will happen next."

The Chief Commissioner's voice boomed.

"You mean, internationally?"

Daoist Bailong said, raising an eyebrow.

"Correct. We've made such a massive stir here, with the government making a full, public disclosure to the entire nation. An event of this magnitude is impossible for foreign powers to completely contain, especially after yesterday's nationwide broadcast."

"The news of the Celestial Demons' existence will inevitably become public abroad as well. I believe they are likely already prepared, especially the Starry Sky Country. This time, the Celestial Demons will truly re-emerge onto the world stage. The only question is what moves the other powers will make."

"All in all, they will absolutely not pass up this opportunity to come after us. Distorting the truth, fanning the flames, and shifting blame—that's what they do best,"

the Chief Commissioner said in a grave tone.

"Then we'll have to face whatever they throw at us."

"However, our most urgent task is to focus on solving our domestic problems. Even with the Li Family providing their full support with Essence Blood to create standard-issue equipment, it's still very difficult for us to defend against the next surprise attack from the rats hiding in the shadows. If another mass-casualty event occurs, the ensuing public panic won't be so easy to resolve."

"We need more power,"

Daoist Bailong said.

The national defense network Zhou Yuanjue mentioned during his interview was, in reality, still quite fragile. It lacked a crucial foundation, as there were far too few people available to man it.

If the enemy were to strike again, they had no absolute confidence they could minimize the losses.

"So, you're suggesting we negotiate with the Spirit Guardians in the country again, to try and win their cooperation?"

The Chief Commissioner instantly understood Daoist Bailong's meaning.

"The timing is ripe now. With so many huge changes, plus the recent investigations and incursions by the Celestial Demons against various Guardian Spirit Races, perhaps those stubborn old guards have noticed the changing times. And the series of rapid, decisive, and thorough responses the government has made against the Celestial Demons should also be enough to dispel some of their suspicions that Donghua's leadership is secretly in league with the Celestial Demons."

"But securing their cooperation on this alone won't be so simple. We need to offer them more 'sincerity,' or perhaps 'incentives.' Of course, what's more important is to show them the power that ordinary people are now capable of wielding."

"That is the only way they will truly understand that the era has changed,"

Daoist Bailong said.

"What are you suggesting?"

the Chief Commissioner asked.

"Among the Donghua Spirit Guardian circles, the Moon Race holds a pivotal position. Their ancestor, 'Li,' was one of the greatest of the Ancient Heroes. In fact, the vast Immortal Palace Seal deep within the Kunlun Mountain Range was the work of this very Ancient Hero."

"In the near future, the Moon Race will be holding a crucial initiation rite. That event will also serve as a secret gathering for the Donghua Spirit Guardians..."

······

······

As the Chief Commissioner and Daoist Bailong discussed their upcoming strategy for dealing with the Spirit Guardian factions, a high-level meeting was underway in the Starry Sky Country's Nebula Alliance.

A dozen or so figures were seated around a circular conference table.

General Norton, who had once led the Starry Sky Country's delegation to the international conference, was now relegated to a seat at the far end of the table.

Seated at the head of the table was a tall man. Strangely, his body seemed indistinct, his entire form shrouded in mist. Even his apparent gender was merely a piece of "information" he intentionally projected to mislead the others.

This person was like an eternal fog, impossible to fathom.

Almost all of the dozen or so high-ranking officials present were at the Saint Awakening Level, yet not one of them could penetrate the mist, or even determine if the being sitting there was a physical entity at all.

This person was the true leader of the Nebula Alliance. His identity was a top secret; not even the high-ranking officials present knew who he really was. They only knew that he had sat in this seat since the Nebula Alliance's founding nearly a century ago and that the advancement of many of the Alliance's most important research projects was inextricably linked to him.

Even the name "Nebula Alliance" had been chosen by him personally.

Within the Alliance, everyone called him "The Chief."

"Alright, let's officially begin the meeting. Same as always."

The Chief, sitting at the head of the table, suddenly raised an arm that seemed to be shrouded in mist.

VMMMM!!

A vast magnetic field spread out, and a dream-like gray mist instantly expanded, enveloping the entire conference room.

The conference table vanished. In an instant, everyone felt as if they were sitting upon the hazy gray mist, unable to even distinguish whether it was an illusion or reality.

All communication devices failed. All forms of surveillance were blocked.

But from the outside, everything in the conference room looked completely normal.

With every breath, the gray mist entered their bodies, giving them all the sensation of being watched.

They knew that at this moment, every minute physical change, even the faintest shift in their Spirit, was being laid bare before the being at the head of the table.

Before him, it was impossible to harbor any dissent, as the slightest hint of it would be detected immediately.

"Donghua has shown their hand first. Now, it's our turn to make a move."

The Chief said lightly.