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Not much time passed before the middle-aged man spoke up again. “Who raided Sourcepeak Planet?”
“That hasn’t been investigated yet, but it should be those few organizations with the Wei family at the helm. Lord Egret appeared and held back Saul,” Xiao Qin replied.
The middle-aged man’s eyes flashed. “Lord Egret. On the surface, he’s an independent cultivator, but according to certain reports, he has received support from Aegis since long ago. In that case, between the Wei family and Aegis, there should have also been quite a few other powers that participated. How bold of them to actually succeed in plotting against the Lockbreaker Society.”
The middle-aged man paused for a moment before continuing, saying, “I seem to recall that the Wei family has raised a very outstanding junior in recent years.”
“Wei Rong is adept at strategy. Although he is still young, he is ruthless, and he has never failed. He also appeared on Sourcepeak Planet,” Xiao Qin said.
The middle-aged man nodded. “That’s right, and Yi Feng also cast his lot in with the Wei family. This Wei Rong indeed has some ability.”
“Yi Feng announced some conditions aimed at attracting Lockbreakers to Armament Weave, and they also stole the treasures of the Hall of Insight. Wei Rong has reaped quite the harvest,” Xiao Qin added on.
The man stood up with knitted brows as he looked at a flowerbed. The main issue stemming from these events was not what had happened to the Lockbreakers or even the Lockbreaker Society’s treasury; rather, it was the fact that Wei Rong had set a very bad precedent. Since ancient times, colossal organizations like themselves had looked down upon the Outerverse as they plundered and controlled their lifeline throughout the ages. But now, the Outerverse Lockbreaker Society had fallen, which would give the other Outerverse organizations hope of overthrowing the other colossal organizations. This was not something good.
This meant that their own Shamrock Enterprises was also at risk.
“What reaction has the Mavis Bank taken?” he asked.
“Not yet clear,” Xiao Qin replied.
“Right, you mentioned that the Outerverse Lockbreaker Society has decided to move to Frostwave Weave, right?” He suddenly remembered this detail and asked about it.
Xiao Qin nodded.
The middle-aged man felt a headache coming on. Could Lu Yin have participated in these events? Otherwise, why would the society relocate to Frostwave Weave of all places? If Lu Yin had started cooperating with Wei Rong, then the situation was even more troublesome than what he had thought. Wei Rong was not frightening, but Lu Yin certainly was. He had established the Great Eastern Alliance and had already proven himself to be an outstanding individual. Also, Lu Yin happened to be both incredibly powerful and tremendously ambitious. If he made a move, then the problem would become even thornier.
“Tell me everything that happened on Sourcepeak Planet, and don’t leave out a single detail, especially about anything concerning Lu Yin. Didn’t he participate in the Lockbreaker Competition? And he should have also played a very active part during the battles on Sourcepeak Planet,” the man said firmly.
Xiao Qin answered, “It was indeed lively. If not for him, Sourcepeak Planet…”
After a long while, Xiao Qin’s narration finally finished, and the middle-aged man let out a long breath. According to this information, Lu Yin probably had not collaborated with Wei Rong, or else he would not have defended the Hall of Insight. That was good; as long as the two of them had not teamed up, it meant that Lu Yin’s focus was not on the colossal organizations, which was the most important point.
“Immediately check and see what the Mavis Bank and Aurora Enterprises’ reactions are. I want a detailed report.”
Xiao Qin immediately withdrew.
After she left, the man thought things over and then used his gadget to contact someone. He sullenly said, “Chief Yu, there’s been an incident.”
Not long after, a voice replied from the gadget. “President Geoffrey is not around, which is why those clowns dared to take such an action. If they dare to treat our Shamrock Enterprises the same as the current Outerverse Lockbreaker Society, their days will be numbered. There’s no need to pay them any mind.”
“What about that Wei Rong?”
“Don’t worry about him. Schemes and tricks will only ever be a sidepath when there are people who can overturn or even cover the skies. No matter how smart this kid is, his power will always be limited.” The person on the other end of the call then disconnected.
The middle-aged man exhaled. That was indeed true—if President Geoffrey had been around in the Outerverse, he would have resolved Sourcepeak Planet’s chaos with a flip of his hand. Those clowns would have never been able to even create a ripple. They had better not treat Shamrock Enterprises as an organization on the same level as the Geoffrey-less Outerverse Lockbreaker Society. Otherwise, they would be in for an unforgettable experience.
But if Chief Yu had such an attitude, then the Mavis Bank would likely have an even loftier one, and they might even completely disregard the events.
On a planet not too far away from Sourcepeak Planet, Cai Jianqiang emerged from the void and appeared. He found a random restaurant, sat down, and ordered a few delicacies as snacks.
He had known that he would be eliminated during the Lockbreaker Competition, and he was already used to such things.
As he ate, he heard snippets of conversation from the tables nearby.
“What, Sourcepeak Planet almost collapsed? The Lockbreaker Society was robbed? Is that for real? Who has the balls to do that?” one person shrieked.
Cai Jianqiang froze while his drink was halfway to his mouth.
“It’s real! After the Lockbreaker Competition, Vice President Saul was accused of using dishonest methods to eliminate other Lockbreakers. Then, some other people invaded the Hall of Insight, and the Lockbreaker Society is now on the verge of collapse. The Hall of Insight was reduced to ruins, and even Honorary Vice President Fiend Li died! It’s a disaster.”
“I never thought that the grand Lockbreaker Society would sink so low. Being isolated from the Innerverse has truly changed the Outerverse.”
“Shh, quiet! Don’t let a Lockbreaker hear you.”
“What are you afraid of? It’s a good thing that the Lockbreaker Society has collapsed. Those Lockbreakers have always been conceited even though they’re only relying on the society’s support without caring about anyone else. It’s about time for them to fall off of their pedestal. I don’t care—I will clap and celebrate such a thing.”
“That’s true, most Lockbreakers have never even managed to unlock a single sourcebox, but they’re given special privileges just because of their innate gift. That’s unfair. Here, cheers!”
“Cheers!”
…
Cai Jianqiang’s expression grew dark, and he quickly opened his gadget to look for news articles on what had happened on Sourcepeak Planet. Out of all the reported images, the scene of the Hall of Insight collapsing into ruins was exceptionally clear. It showcased the fall of the Outerverse Lockbreaker Society.
He browsed until the end of the newsfeed and then set his drink down. Everything had already been settled, and there was no need for him to return. However, he still felt that he should return and take a look since the society was moving to Frostwave Weave. Although most Lockbreakers looked down upon Cai Jianqiang, he was exceptionally fervent about lockbreaking, and he valued the society rather highly.
Frostwave Weave… that person called Lu Yin should be the one in charge there.
That person had not appeared in this Lockbreaker Competition, but he had mysteriously appeared once the fighting started. It was all a little strange.
***
On Shenwu Continent, as Ming Zhaoshu’s death neared, he began to act even more recklessly; he started sending policing troops against the various rebellions, massacring rebels, and exterminating any and all remnants that had been left behind by Ming Zhaotian. This led to seething discontent across the entire Shenwu Continent, but the people were completely suppressed under his iron fist.
He had already seized the highest position on Shenwu Continent, and with the outsiders’ help, he could quell any rebellion regardless of the size, and the fate of such rebels was always quite miserable.
Ming Zhaoshu was not the same as before, and his draining vitality had almost completely devoured his rationality, and Ming Yan had seen this up close.
“Kill them all! Don’t leave a single one alive. These rebels actually dared to betray the empire and me,” Ming Zhaoshu barked, killing intent filling his eyes.
Beside him, Ming Yan picked up the memo that her father had thrown to the floor, and she frowned slightly. She then looked over at Ming Zhaoshu. “There are more than 3,000. You want to kill them all?”
Ming Zhaoshu replied in a low voice, “That’s right, don’t let a single one escape. I will let these people realize their fate.”
After the previous massacre, Ming Yan’s determination had grown firmer, and she had become much more decisive at handling matters. However, she still could not casually make a decision to kill 3,000 people without any ability to resist. This was 3,000, not 300.
When he saw that Ming Yan had not made any sort of confirmation, Ming Zhaoshu looked at her. “What? Are you not going to listen to Father any longer?”
Ming Yan looked miserable. “Father, how many do you want to be buried with you?”
Ming Zhaoshu’s body trembled as he clenched his fists tightly.
Ming Yan pursed her lips, knowing that her words had been too harsh. She immediately tried to calm her father down. “Sorry, Father, I didn’t mean that, but-”
“Get out.”
Ming Yan still wanted to say something, but Ming Zhaoshu repeated his words. “Get out.”
Ming Yan placed down the memo and glanced at Ming Zhaoshu before stepping out of the study.
She raised her face towards the sunlight, and her body swayed as she almost fell down. Right now, she didn’t dare to sleep at night, and since she had to handle the various administrative duties during the day, her body was overly exhausted.
Tang Si respectfully asked, “Princess, do you wish to summon the imperial physician?”
Ming Yan shook her head and left with the support of her maids.
Tang Si hung his head with a complex look on his face.
Within the office, Ming Zhaoshu stepped in front of a mirror, and his appearance changed. A decrepit old man appeared in the mirror, a man devoid of all vitality and who looked to be a mere breath away from death. This was the emperor’s true appearance as his vitality had been sapped away, and nothing could stop it. Those rare natural treasures that had been gathered from all over, even the ones from the Outerverse, could not stop his vitality from slipping away, and the speed had gradually increased. He felt that his death would arrive sooner than he had initially estimated.
Ming Zhaoshu had grown numb to the sight of the old, decrepit man in the mirror. He almost wanted to die immediately so that he could break away from this feeble old body that disgusted him so, but he could not. He still had certain matters to attend to. Just a little longer, just a little more.
***
Under Felynn’s arrangements, the Outerverse Lockbreaker Society was shifted from Sourcepeak Planet to Frostwave Weave, and the natives of Sourcepeak Planet were also resettled onto some nearby planets. In short, Sourcepeak Planet was no longer habitable.
Yi Feng had attracted quite a few Lockbreakers to join him in Armament Weave, a majority of whom were the Outerverse Lockbreakers who did not remain at the society’s headquarters. Hence, the Lockbreakers who headed over to resettle in Frostwave Weave were only the few who had previously lived at the society’s headquarters, as well as some Lockbreakers who wanted to study in the headquarters. There were not very many, and they did not even number 3,000. However, they were all Lockbreakers, which meant that they were not ordinary people.
What delighted Lu Yin the most was that, among the various Lockbreakers heading to Frostwave Weave, there were three Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreakers, including Felynn. They were Felynn, Xi Qi, and a two star Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreaker known as Master Kai.
Perceptive Intermediate and Discerning Elementary Lockbreakers were on two fundamentally different levels.
Every Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreaker had the strength to fight against a Hunter. No matter what realm they had cultivated to, even if they were nothing more than a lowly Explorer, they would still have the ability to hold their own against a Hunter.
Unfortunately, during the fighting on Sourcepeak Planet, several Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreakers had died, and there had also been a few who had sided with Saul and left, like Mr. Jun. Their whereabouts were unknown, and only Master Kai had remained behind.
As for Xi Qi, she wanted to head over to Frostwave Weave to take a look for herself.
Aside from the Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreakers, Ku Wei, Serpent Queen, and Tong Mi’er also headed towards Frostwave Weave. They all had enormous potential and could become Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreakers in the future. Thus, they were all highly valued by Lu Yin. Ku Wei was a bit more troublesome, as Lu Yin had basically confirmed that this person was a member of the Court of Seven Names’ Ku family. Lu Yin did not feel confident about allowing a member of the Three Dark Hands to follow him back to Frostwave Weave.