The post from the New Covenant District branch offers a concise description of the mission, listing the spiritual IDs, levels, and years of service of the fallen, without expressions of outrage or emotionally charged appeals. It reads like a quiet, mournful obituary. Members of the Divine Judgment from various districts leave comments such as "May heaven be free of strife," "May God watch over you all," "Rest eternal," and numerous rows of white candles. In this post, there is no cursing or shouting, no anger or blame, no resolute declaration of vengeance—though separated only by a screen, a palpable atmosphere of mourning for the departed flows through. Zhang Yuan scans it briefly and then exits the post, turning to browse the forum homepage. The atmosphere there is now entirely different: posts with "fuck" in the titles fill the screen, vividly illustrating the Divine Judgment members' fury. In a single night, eighteen celestial realm travelers were lost—seven sages and two at the sixth level. As the foremost organization of order in the world, Tianfa had not suffered such a significant setback in many years. In the forum, some Tianfa members fiercely criticized the incompetence and sluggishness of the upper echelons of the New Covenant Province, echoing the sentiments of the civilian population in the Free Federation toward their government. They held the Chief Executive Officer, Shawn Medley, of the Executive Department accountable and urged the headquarters to appoint a more capable Sovereign to succeed him. Others believed that the situation in the New Covenant Province had escalated steadily to the point where a Sovereign should step in at any moment, and thus, headquarters should send a special envoy leading an elite team to establish a presence there. "Although the New Covenant Province is a major regional branch, the battles between the Wine God Club and the Merchant Guild are intensifying, with many high-ranking members of the evil faction now gathering there. Headquarters should certainly send reinforcements." "The New Covenant County is the headquarters of the Sea God Church. Those proud sea nymphs have a strained relationship with us. When the headquarters sends representatives to take up residence, there's likely to be conflict. Who can the Heavenly Judgment fear? The Sea God Church has been observing quietly. I've read the daily reports from within Heavenly Judgment, and they mention only symbolic destruction of a few crime syndicates. Since the Sea God Church has not taken the initiative, this responsibility now falls to us, the Heavenly Judgment. 'Seize the cocktail immediately—or hunt down the apex saint of the Evil Faction. This grievance must be avenged.' Zhang Yuanqing quickly scanned the post and noticed a key difference between Heavenly Judgment and the Five Elements Alliance. The Five Elements Alliance's forum feels more like a spectator community—people chat, observe, and occasionally vent their frustrations." The Forum of Divine Retribution is different—they don’t just evaluate their superiors; they seriously discuss tactics, such as which props to use and how to deploy them against the Dionysian Club. When disagreements arise and neither side yields, they even share confidential, high-level prop attributes directly in their posts. Beyond tactics, they also enjoy teaching their superiors how to arrange their forces and counter the malevolent factions. Whether or not these recommendations are reliable, the academic tone is strong, and the approach is notably free-spirited—many insights and intelligence remain too sensitive to be shared on social platforms. "The New Covenant Branch is under immense pressure, especially Sean Mede—so many elite members have fallen, which constitutes a serious oversight," Zhang Yuanqing hums with satisfaction. Sean Mede has consistently shown hostility toward the Five-Element Alliance’s aid teams, often maintaining a cold demeanor and refusing to offer any visible support. Now, members of the various branches of the Celestial Judgment are demanding accountability, eager to personally move to the New Covenant District and confront the evil forces head-on. Sean Mede's pressure is immense. ... The Chief Executive's Office. On the guest sofa, Sean Mede's lean face is serious, his pale blue eyes aglow with stormy intensity. He looks steadily at the two equals across from him and says firmly: "I would like to request access to the Sky's Eye!" Seated across from Sean are Winny Burnt and a middle-aged man with gray hair, named Channing Lu, one of the three pillars of the Celestial Judgment branch in the New Covenant District. Channing Lu, appointed by the Board as Head of Administration, oversees all internal affairs of the Celestial Judgment—personnel assignments, financial management, inventory handling, leave scheduling, and more. In short, the Head of Administration serves as a check on the Chief Executive and the Prosecutor. This is a principle of the Free Federation: separation of powers. Qian Cheng Lu shook her head. "The cocktails should have moved on from the New Covenant County—or retreated into the Spirit Realm. With you activating the Sky Eye, it makes no sense at all. Perhaps this is exactly what the evil faction desires: a wind mage without eyes, like a tiger missing its teeth, facing hunters, with only death as its path. Sean, would you like to be the first sovereign to return to the Spirit Realm in this campaign?" "Shawn Med's face twitched slightly," "The execution team's complete wipe-out wasn't due to my ambition or overreach—it was because a spy had been revealed within the Operations Department. Only a few people knew about last night's operation, and I'm currently investigating the spy. "Chen Ning Lu nodded without comment. These matters would naturally be handled by the successors; the headquarters' decisions wouldn't change easily. At that moment, Winny Buron said, "Once the new Chief Executive takes office, Med may activate the Sky-Eye—I have no objection!" A perfect case of making do with what we have! She suddenly felt grateful for Juming's sharp instincts. If it weren't for him uncovering Emma as the spy, she might have ended up just like Shawn Med—making a major mistake and facing a similar predicament. Qian Ning Lu exhaled, "Let's talk more about the spies. There are numerous issues within Tianfa itself. Unless we identify and eliminate those spies, similar incidents will keep happening. Moreover, just as the dragon-horse Hase has recently returned to the spiritual realm, the evil faction has already dealt us a resounding blow. Sean, initiate the Nos action. From the A-level wanted list, simply pick anyone at random." Nos is one of the two apex saints of the Executive Department, renowned for his extensive combat experience and rich array of tools—representing a seasoned powerhouse. After sending off the deputy, he returned to his office to hear Yuan Ting recounting in vivid detail the news that Shawn Mede is set to be replaced. Not only did Yuan know that Shawn Mede was on the verge of being phased out, but he even had the names of the candidates at the Heaven’s Punishment Headquarters—thousands of miles away. "It's reportedly possibly Winifred Elina. She's no ordinary woman—she's not only the queen’s lover, but a wind mage at level 7, possibly already level 8. Since the king returned to the spiritual realm, she’s been on leave, staying at home to cultivate and refine herself. Honestly, how can such a mediocre king maintain so many devoted women?" Yuan looked around with self-assured confidence, radiating the air of a master of the gossip scene. Perhaps he’s just been sleeping through it. Ah, Elina… Zhang Yuanqing’s eyes lit up. He knew this woman—she was one of the king’s most favored lovers, rumored to possess a fragment of the treasure map. A woman he’d wanted to reach out to, yet one he’d been unable to connect with due to the vast distance. Suddenly, Zhang Yuanqing no longer wanted to kill Baxes and Hecate—why not just have Shaoen pack up and leave? If the successor really was Elina! He muttered to himself. If he succeeded in hunting down Baxes and Hecate, Shaoen might not even be demoted—perhaps he’d receive a reprimand and stay on in the New Covenant County. "Elina, surely she’s quite beautiful," Sun Miaomiao said, casually observing from the sidelines, delighted to hear about the romantic entanglements between the Magi King and women, as long as it didn’t involve the Primordial Deity. "We can question the Magi King’s character, but not his taste!" Yuan Ting insisted. "She must be a stunning beauty. I’ve heard that Winny Burnt has an especially strong sense of possessiveness—she treats even the Magi King’s lovers as enemies. So, if Elina comes along, there’ll be plenty of entertainment." ... Late at night. On Man Island, at a riverfront hotel, in the room with the most panoramic view, Baxes held a wine bottle in one hand and a telescope in the other, carefully observing the distant bank building After confirming the view was clear, he set down the telescope, picked up his phone, and dialed the dream steward's number. "In five minutes, I'll have my subordinates take action. Keep a sharp eye out—once the Five-Row Alliance team emerges, report immediately," he said, still catching his breath from the wine. "Don't tell me what to do!" the dream steward replied coldly over the line, then hung up. As senior stewards, Baxes and Hecate naturally have ample subordinates. Tonight, they have deployed sufficient personnel to carry out large-scale destruction across various locations around Man Island. The divine retribution will surely suspect a stratagem orchestrated by the Free Alliance—sending out the enemy to draw them out—thereby hesitating to send out their own teams casually. Instead, they will dispatch teams led by saints, with even the sovereigns stationed behind to oversee the situation. As a result, divine retribution will inevitably face manpower shortages. The Five-Element Alliance, with their strong team capabilities and the nature of their support mission, will certainly be called upon. Baxes sipped his drink steadily, one after another, enjoying the view of the river. After roughly half an hour, the lights on the 102nd and 103rd floors of the bank building suddenly flared to life. A few minutes later, fierce gusts of wind surged from the roof of the building. Figures emerged, riding the currents, and vanished into the night. Soon afterward, black executive cars swiftly departed from the bank's underground parking garage, honking their horns, joining the traffic flow, and heading toward the various police stations that had issued emergency requests. Bax's phone dinged, receiving a text message from the Master of Dreams. He focused closely and saw the message contained a license plate number. The Five-Row Alliance members were in that vehicle.